Beuran Hendricks recorded career-best figures of 5/31 to bowl the Cape Cobras to an emphatic 113-run victory over the Titans in Benoni on Friday night.
Hendricks produced an inspired spell of left-arm pace bowling as he ran through the Titans batting line-up and strengthened the Cobras’ position on top of the One-Day Cup log with a bonus-point win.
They have now virtually secured a playoff spot with three games to go, and will strive to stay ahead of the pack to clinch a Newlands final.
Chasing a marginally adjusted Duckworth-Lewis Method target of 247 off 42 overs – due to rain and lightning during the Cobras innings – the Titans never got going on a sticky Willowmoore Park wicket that had variable pace and bounce to be bowled out for 133 in 30.4 overs.
It was Man-of-the-Match Hendricks (5/31 in 7.4 overs) who started the rot when he got rid of Titans captain Henry Davids with a “strangle” down the leg-side, with Davids getting a nick to Dane Vilas behind the stumps to be out for a duck.
Hendricks struck again six overs later when he found some away swing outside off, and Theunis de Bruyn (14) went on the drive, only to edge behind to Vilas once more. That saw the Titans staring down the barrel at 25/2, and they never recovered as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
It wasn’t a one-man show for Paul Adams’ team, though, as Tshepo Moreki also played his part in the Titans’ downfall. He got two huge wickets, firstly removing Proteas Test opener Dean Elgar for eight, and then later top-scorer Graeme van Buuren for 40 (36 balls, 5x4).
Moreki (3/26 in seven overs) came up with a wonderful piece of bowling to snare Elgar’s scalp as he came around the wicket and got some lovely movement off the pitch away from the left-hander, and Elgar edged to Stiaan van Zyl at slip.
That was arguably the match-winning moment, as the Centurion-based side lacked the necessary specialist batting depth to pose a serious challenge for the stiff target.
Titans coach Rob Walter made a puzzling decision to keep powerful SA A left-hander Qaasim Adams in the change room until the fifth wicket fell, which saw Adams coming in at number seven.
But the damage had been done as the score was already 81/5, and then Hendricks came back for his second spell to remove both Adams (three) and Heinrich Klaasen (four) in the 25th over.
The Cobras also fielded excellently, with substitute fielder Keegan Petersen effecting a terrific run out of Grant Thomson for 13.
But while the bowlers made short work of the Titans, Cobras coach Paul Adams will also thank captain Justin Ontong, number three batsman Omphile Ramela and wicket-keeper Vilas for their contributions with the willow.
On a difficult wicket, Ramela brought stability to the Cobras innings with a well-worked 53 off 79 balls (2x4, 1x6) following a 58-run partnership with Van Zyl, who struck the ball sweetly but often found the fielder in his 28 off 36 balls.
The Cobras were batting slower than what they would’ve liked, and when Ramela got out to Junior Dala, the innings was delicately poised at 149/4 in 34 overs.
But Ontong (65 off 53 balls, 5x4, 2x6) and Vilas (46 not out off 23 balls, 4x4, 3x6) got stuck into the bowling, scoring 88 runs off the last eight overs to take the Cobras to a reasonably strong total of 237/5 in their reduced innings of 42 overs.
The Cobras’ next assignment is on Sunday against the Highveld Lions at Boland Park in Paarl (10am start).
@IndyCapeSport