Cape Town - Malusi Siboto admitted that his dropping of Colin Ackerman in the 12th over of Friday night’s tense T20 Challenge final was playing on his mind as the match reached its climax, but that he was desperate to make amends when he next got a chance to bowl.
That opportunity came in the final over with the Warriors needing 12 runs to beat the Titans. Siboto delivered in composed fashion, landing yorker after yorker to see the Titans across the line by six runs at SuperSport Park.
Of the dropped catch, Siboto said: “Oof, I dropped the wrong guy, and it was playing on my mind. Christiaan Jonker was always going to give us a chance, not so much Ackerman, so in my my mind I was thinking ‘I should have taken that’. I told myself that I had to make up for that when I got the chance to bowl again and I guess I did.”
The emotions overwhelmed him he admitted in the end and with eight required off the last ball, mathematically the Warriors could no longer win unless Siboto made an error - which he did, bowling a leg-side wide. “I froze and I tried to make it right.”
Having done so, Siboto charged off the field, seeking out his grandmother who he’d flown up from Cape Town to watch the match. “She’s never watched me before, it was the first time tonight, I ran to her and gave her a hug.”
Siboto, his gran and friends were afterwards posing for pictures with the trophy which also represented the first title for Mark Boucher as a professional coach. “‘Lolly’s drop is not something that happens in training, schoolboys would have taken that, but in saying that, he didn’t have a great night, his first over went for a few runs, then he drops that catch - any other player might have gone into his shell and faded away, but we trusted him to do the job at the end, and jeez, he came good.
“That last over not many would want the ball and he ran in there, took the bull by the horns and put the ball in the right area. He got a bit emotional towards the end and that nearly got us into a situation where we thought we’d won the game, then there was the possibility of a super over, but once again he came back, held his nerve and got the ball in the right area. I’m very proud, not just of him but all the guys.”
The final wasn’t the run-fest many would have anticipated, with the Titans scoring 155/6 after being asked to bat and the Warriors replying with 149/6. Ackerman’s 34 was the highest score in the match, which featured excellent performances with the ball from Colin Ingram for the Warriors and Junior Dala and Lungi Ngidi for the Titans.
“It wasn’t a perfect game for us,” said Boucher. “We played pressure cricket, but that’s what it’s like in finals. You’re under pressure, guys make mistakes and it’s the side that holds its bottle the longest that ultimately comes out on top.
“When I took this job it was a big challenge, it’s not about winning trophies, because that will look after itself but watching guys grow in their games.
“Lungi, Junior, Malusi, they are all coming through and that’s what excites me more than a trophy.”
For Siboto, it was a night he’ll remember forever and justified the decision in the off-season to leave the Knights and join the Titans. “I came here to refresh my game and to learn from the international guys. It was a bonus to be backed to bowl the last over.
“We back each other here, we fight for each other, I wouldn’t ask for any other set-up than this,” said Siboto. “When you’re not doing well everyone just gives you confidence to get yourself together and to make sure the Titans comes first, no matter what.”