Mangaliso Mosehle played his finest innings to date in one of the biggest matches of his career to help The Unlimited Titans lift the RAM Slam T20 trophy in front of a full-house at SuperSport Park on Saturday.
After the Sunfoil Dolphins had posted what looked to be a challenging 159/5 off their 20 overs in the final, Mosehle walked in at number three and smashed seven sixes to score 87 from only 39 balls.
Although Kyle Abott dismissed Mosehle and Henry Davids (35) – after the pair put on 123 in 67 balls for the second wicket – off successive deliveries, the game was won by then.
With just 12 runs needed from 33 balls, Farhaan Behardien and skipper Albie Morkel merely needed to keep their heads, which they did, to record a seven-wicket win with 19 balls to spare.
It was the first time since the 2011/12 season that the Titans had won the domestic Twenty20 competition, and it gave Rob Walter his third trophy since taking over as coach of the franchise at the start of the 2013/14 season.
Given their dominance in the league phase, when they won eight consecutive matches and finished 13 points clear at the top of the table, nobody could claim they were not worthy winners.
One of the keys to their success has been the number of bases that they cover when the going gets tough, and that was the case once again.
Morkel was able to call on no fewer than eight bowling options, all of whom did a job as the Dolphins were strangled in the middle period of their innings.
With runs hard-to-come-by, Morné van Wyk (29), Jonathan Vandiar (26) and Kevin Pietersen all holed out as they tried to keep the scoreboard moving.
A late blast from Dwayne Bravo and David Miller gave the visitors something to defend as they took 65 off the last six overs, with Bravo making 53 from 30 balls and Miller scoring 33.
But that proved inadequate, once Mosehle got going. While he has a List A century to his name as well as an unbeaten 93 in the shortest format, neither have come in such a pressure situation. As he went hard at the Dolphins, their bowlers had no answer, with Imran Tahir taking the worst punishment when Mosehle took 24 off his second over.
That took the required rate below a run-a-ball, and the Titans eased home from there.
Davids was named RAM “Deliverer of the Day” and Mosehle “RAM Slammer” of the day.
Mosehle blitz sinks Dolphins
After the Sunfoil Dolphins had posted what looked to be a challenging 159/5 off their 20 overs in the final, Mosehle walked in at number three and smashed seven sixes to score 87 from only 39 balls.
Although Kyle Abott dismissed Mosehle and Henry Davids (35) – after the pair put on 123 in 67 balls for the second wicket – off successive deliveries, the game was won by then.
With just 12 runs needed from 33 balls, Farhaan Behardien and skipper Albie Morkel merely needed to keep their heads, which they did, to record a seven-wicket win with 19 balls to spare.
It was the first time since the 2011/12 season that the Titans had won the domestic Twenty20 competition, and it gave Rob Walter his third trophy since taking over as coach of the franchise at the start of the 2013/14 season.
Given their dominance in the league phase, when they won eight consecutive matches and finished 13 points clear at the top of the table, nobody could claim they were not worthy winners.
One of the keys to their success has been the number of bases that they cover when the going gets tough, and that was the case once again.
Morkel was able to call on no fewer than eight bowling options, all of whom did a job as the Dolphins were strangled in the middle period of their innings.
With runs hard-to-come-by, Morné van Wyk (29), Jonathan Vandiar (26) and Kevin Pietersen all holed out as they tried to keep the scoreboard moving.
A late blast from Dwayne Bravo and David Miller gave the visitors something to defend as they took 65 off the last six overs, with Bravo making 53 from 30 balls and Miller scoring 33.
But that proved inadequate, once Mosehle got going. While he has a List A century to his name as well as an unbeaten 93 in the shortest format, neither have come in such a pressure situation. As he went hard at the Dolphins, their bowlers had no answer, with Imran Tahir taking the worst punishment when Mosehle took 24 off his second over.
That took the required rate below a run-a-ball, and the Titans eased home from there.
Davids was named RAM “Deliverer of the Day” and Mosehle “RAM Slammer” of the day.
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