Johannesburg – The Titans started the fourth day of their domestic match against the Highveld Lions at the Wanderers on Sunday still needing 310 runs to win but when the final dice was thrown they were bowled out for 169, giving victory to the Lions by 190 runs.
The Titans’ aspirations had been all but bushwhacked when Chris Morris took three for four in three overs at the close of play on the third day.
They started the fourth day on Sunday on 50 for four, with Theunis de Bruyn on 20 and Farhaan Behardien on six, and the day continued in much the same way as the third day had finished.
De Bruyn (21) nicked a Hardus Viljoen delivery to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock in the second over, while Roelof van de Merwe (3) hardly got into his stride before he followed De Bruyn, dismissed by the same Viljoen-De Kock combination.
Thereafter, the bowlers toiled long and hard, but to no avail, as Behardien and Mangaliso Mosehle knuckled down to put on 81 runs for the fifth wicket.
It was a tenacious rearguard action from the pair, but disaster struck in the last over before lunch. Mosehle (52) went out off the final delivery before the break to give Viljoen his third scalp of the morning session. The batsman struck nine fours in his 59-ball knock.
After lunch, Viljoen was unplayable as a flurry of three wickets saw the end of the Titans’ innings.
With the first ball he castled Shaun von Berg, to put the quickie on a possible hat-trick, but Rowan Richards played the next delivery forward defensive to survive.
It was only a brief sojourn, however, as Richards was out caught behind by De Kock, and Ethy Mbhalati was bowled neck-and-crop. Behardien was 71 not out when the Titans’ innings folded.
Viljoen finished with a match analysis of 20-11-81-8.
De Kock finished with eight catches and he and Viljoen, with his eight-wicket haul, were voted jointly man-of-the-match. – Sapa