When day three gets under way today at SuperSport Park in Centurion, the Lions will be the happier team courtesy of a patient century from opening batter Joshua Richards who scored 107 runs off 201 balls against the Titans yesterday.
Richards was resolute in his innings, and despite losing partners at regular intervals at the other end, he weathered the storm and guided the Lions to 293 all out, handing the visitors a crucial 66-run first-innings lead.
Junior Dala (6-58) was the chief destroyer for the Titans as the right-arm paceman kept the Lions’ lead in check late on day two yesterday.
With a little over a half an hour left in the day’s play, Lions seamer Codi Yusuf bowled accurately to account for Titans batter Matthew Kleinveldt (6) in the very first over, and restrict his opening partner Joshua van Heerden to 14 not out.
His new-ball partner, Delano Potgieter (1-8), also accounted for Musa Twala to leave the Titans in trouble on 35-2, with a 31-run deficit heading into today’s action.
* Down in Cape Town, Western Province’s dominance with the bat carried over to yesterday as batters Gavin Kaplan (173) and Kyle Verreynne (135) pushed the hosts to 592-6 declared against the Dolphins at Newlands.
Exhausted from spending almost 150 overs in the field over the two days, the Dolphins were restricted to 175-5 at the close of play.
Despite the promising 46-run opening stand between Sarel Erwee (32) and Tshepang Dithole (21), and the 56-run partnership between Marques Ackerman (45) and Bryce Parsons (44), there wasn’t much else to boast about from the visiting batters.
As a result, the Dolphins will start today a mammoth 416 runs behind.
* In Pietermaritzburg, Tristan Stubbs, who scored 302 runs off 372 balls in a knock that included 37 fours and six sixes, became the first Warriors batter to score a triple century as bad light forced the umpires to call stumps early yet again, with the Eastern Cape side on 517-3.
Matthew Breetzke (188) fell 12 runs shy off a maiden double century and put together a 473-run stand with Stubbs, the second-highest partnership in Division One cricket.
Triple-Ton Tristan 💯💯💯
— DomesticCSA (@DomesticCSA) February 22, 2024
What Tristan Stubbs has achieved is out of this world 🤯🏏
Describe his knock with one emoji. We'll start 👌#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #4DaySeries pic.twitter.com/g9dsEFCqo6
* In Paarl, the North West Dragons are in control of their encounter against the Rocks, having scored 483 runs in the first innings. Lesego Senokwane (137) and Migael Pretorius (93) were the top scorers.
They went on to reduce the Boland side to 127-5 at close of play.
When play gets under way today, the Dragons will take comfort in their 357-run lead, and will back themselves to claim the remaining five wickets.
Day 2 | STUMPS
— DomesticCSA (@DomesticCSA) February 22, 2024
👕 Titans 2️⃣7️⃣7️⃣ & 3️⃣5️⃣/2️⃣
🦁Lions 2️⃣9️⃣3️⃣
🐘 Tuskers
⚔ Warriors 5️⃣1️⃣7️⃣/3️⃣
🔵 WP 5️⃣9️⃣2️⃣/6️⃣d
🐬 Dolphins 1️⃣7️⃣5️⃣/5️⃣
🪨 Rocks 1️⃣2️⃣7️⃣/5️⃣
🐉 Dragons 4️⃣8️⃣4️⃣
📺 Follow the Day 3 action on CSA YouTube ➡️ https://t.co/oCeF2SWS4X#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #4DaySeries pic.twitter.com/bNkqQLj8zn