CAPE TOWN - A patient Dominic Hendricks half-century was helping the Imperial Lions slowly build on their lead before bad light and then rain prematurely brought a close to day two of their 4-Day Domestic Series encounter against the Six Gun Grill Cape Cobras in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The left-hander batted for more than six hours and was still there at the halfway stage of the game, which the hosts reached on 222 for seven – a lead of 107 at Imperial Wanderers Stadium.
Hendricks was unbeaten at the end on 87 off 243 balls (11 fours).
The early finish meant that only 36 overs were sent down on the second day of the round two encounter in which both teams were aiming to bounce back following defeats in the opening round of the 2020/21 campaign last week.
But after managing just 115 in their first innings and falling 37 behind by the close on day one, the Cape side faced a huge battle when the Lions resumed on their overnight score of 152 for three.
Bad light and some rain force the players off with the Lions on 222/7 (83), a lead of 107 runs. Dominic Hendricks 87* and Nono Pongolo 0*. Ziyaad Abrahams 2/50, Nandre Burger 2/74 #LIOvsCOB pic.twitter.com/YPnmQwXpZY
— COBRAS CRICKET (@CobrasCricket) November 10, 2020
Too their credit, though, they fought back and it did not take too long for Ziyaad Abrahams (2/50) to strike after he claimed the important early wicket of Proteas middle-order batsman and host captain Temba Bavuma for 32.
From there the Cobras continued to chip away.
Nicky van den Bergh (18) added 36 with Hendricks for the fifth wicket, before he was cleaned up by George Linde (1/11).
Wiaan Mulder, bowled for 11 by Nandre Burger (2/74), and Dwaine Pretorius (0) hardly troubled the scorers with Nono Pongolo (0*) then battling it out alongside Hendricks when play ended.
@IOLSport