PAARL – Hang your heads in shame, Cape Cobras! A franchise that were once the pride of the nation have allowed standards to slip so dramatically that it was embarrassing at Boland Park on Wednesday evening.
Catches were dropped, the ground fielding was atrocious and the bowling was ill-disciplined.
And it was the Dolphins who benefited from the malaise that engulfed the Cobras to claim a four-wicket Momentum One-Day Cup victory that should never have been theirs.
When the visitors lost dangerman Robbie Frylinck in the 45th over, the match card should have been written out in favour of the Cobras. The Dolphins required 56 runs from 31 balls at that stage at over 11 runs to the over as they chased 272 for victory after the Cobras posted 271/7 in their 50 overs.
Enter young Sibonelo Makhanya. The former South Africa Under-19 captain had already showed his promise earlier in the competition, and was ready to seize the moment and take advantage of the Cobras’ sloppiness.
Heroes need a little bit of luck along the way, and it was afforded to him when Omphile Ramela dropped the youngster on the long-off boundary – one of three straightforward catches to go down – and from there on, he never looked back again.
And when he found a willing partner in Kyle Nipper, the Dolphins pair created carnage in the last five overs as they shared a match-winning unbroken 52-run partnership that took the visitors home with five balls still to spare.
Cobras seamer Dane Paterson (second from left) conceded 22 runs in the 48th over. Photo: Chris Ricco, BackpagePix
It was fitting that Makhanya (55 not out off 38 balls, 2x4, 2x6) could bring up his half-century in the process and strike the winning runs through mid-wicket off Lizaad Williams’ first ball of the final over.
Nipper was unbeaten on 32 off only 18 balls (2x4, 2x6).
But while Makhanya’s heroics set off wild celebrations in the visitors’ dressing room, the Cobras will need to take a long and hard look at themselves for allowing a match to slip out of their clutches in such a dramatic manner.
The senior players especially will need to accept major responsibility for the defeat. New Proteas cap Dane Paterson, who has only just returned from national duty in New Zealand, missed his lines and lengths horribly in the 48th over to concede 22 runs, which brought the Dolphins firmly back into the contest.
This was all so different from the afternoon session, where the Cobras batting unit had taken responsibility in posting a solid 271/7.
There were half-centuries for Richard Levi, Keegan Petersen and Dane Vilas in addition to contributions from Aviwe Mgijima (26) and captain Dane Piedt (36 not out), but under no circumstances did they realise what was about to unfold later in the evening.