Dolphins triumph in low scorer to book final spot
Ottniel Baartman's 3/15 and Robbie Frylinck's all-round show put Dolphins in the Momentum One-day Cup final, beating Cape Cobras by three wickets in a low-scoring first semifinal on Monday (February 1).
Opting to bowl first, Dolphins managed the early breakthrough but Tony de Zozri and Jason Smith's 81-run stand resurrected the Cobras' innings. However, just as it seemed they were set for an imposing total, a dramatic collapse, triggered by Baartman and skipper Senuran Muthusamy kept them to just 196.
Baartman broke the stubborn partnership in the 19th over, taking out Smith on 37. followed by the wicket of skipper Zubayr Hamza in his next. De Zozri went on to complete his fifty but struggled to find support at the other end. Aviwe Mgijima, Jonathan Bird and Christiaan Jonker all managed to score 12 each but failed to convert it into something substantial. Zozri fell when the Cobras' score was at 123, and all that the lower order managed was 196 before folding two balls into the 47th over. Frylinck, skipper Prenelan Subrayen and Muthusamy all picked two wickets apiece to add to Baartman's three-fer.
Corbin Bosch then gave Cobras a terrific start with the ball, dismissing the two off successive balls in the opening over of Dolphins' chase. Grant Roelofsen played a lone hand at the top with 34 off 58 Dolphins had on board by the time he was the fifth batsman dismissed in the chase.
However, heroes with the ball earlier in the day, Muthusamy (57) and Frylinck (62) combined for a sixth wicket stand of 112 to revive their dying hopes of making the finale. The duo hit five boundaries each in their knock, duly completing their fifties as they put Dolphins on the brink of victory. They fell 10 runs apart, but Dolphins completed the chase comfortably halfway through the 43rd over and with three wickets to spare.
Brief scores: Cape Cobras 196 all out in 46.2 overs (Tony de Zorzi 61, Jason Smith 37; Ottniel Baartman 3-15, Robbie Frylinck 2-25) lost to Dolphins 197/7 in 42.3 overs (Robbie Frylinck 62, Senuran Muthusamy 57; Imran Manack 2-36) by 3 wickets.
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