Dolphins & Knights tie in Bloem thriller

Durban – A wicket off the final ball of the Hollywoodbets Dolphins run chase, meant they had to settle for a tie against the VKB Knights in their Momentum One Day Cup match at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

As was the case on Friday, the Knights won the toss and battled first and started well with their opening stand between Rudi Second and Grant Mokoena yielded 67 before the latter was bowled by Andile Phehlukwayo for 32.

Second continued on his way and went past 50 as he lost Keegan Petersen for four and the dangerous David Miller for 20 as the Knights made their way to 124/3 just past the halfway mark of their innings.

Patrick Kruger provided the Bloemfontein outfit with impetus as he scored 59 from 68 balls. Kruger was the seventh wicket to fall and the final two wickets fell for one run as the Knights finished on 233/9 from their 50 overs.

Proteas all-rounder Phehlukwayo was the pick of the Dolphins bowlers as he returned with figures of 3/49 in nine overs.

The rest of the wickets were shared between the other five bowlers with them all claiming one scalp.

Chasing just over four and a half runs to the over, the Dolphins started poorly as they lost openers Morné van Wyk and Sarel Erwee cheaply as well as the heart of their top order.

Sibz Makhanya, who was promoted to three, scored 21 and captain Khaya Zondo made 15 as they limped to 59/4 in the fourteenth over of the chase.

Dane Vilas, who returned to the side following the birth of his child recently, scored 27 and Senuran Muthusamy held the chase together with 68 from 89 balls as the Dolphins closed in on the magic 234 to win.

Phehlukwayo chipped in with a near run-a-ball 30 before Rob Frylinck (33) and Prenelan Subrayen (21) took the Dolphins to the cusp of victory.

Frylinck hit the second and third balls of the final over for six before he fell off the penultimate delivery of the match. Off the final ball Subrayen was adjudged to have obstructed the field and was given out leaving the Dolphins one run short of victory.

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins have now opened a two point gap over the Multiply Titans on the Momentum One Day Cup log with the WSB Cape Cobras a further point behind.

The Dolphins will next face the Warriors at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead on Friday, 19 January.

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