The opening day’s play undoubtedly belonged to the Knights bowlers in the four-day Sunfoil Series match between the Warriors and the VKB Knights which started at Buffalo Park in East London yesterday.
The five toiled in the hot sun while keeping the Warriors batsmen on the back foot for long sessions and at close of play – which stopped six overs early because of bad light – the home team were on 210/9.
The pick of the bowlers was medium-pacer Malusi Siboto who always looked dangerous, swinging the ball at times while picking up six important wickets for only 39 runs off 21 overs.
Siboto was well supported by Knights skipper Werner Coetsee who weighed in with a number of excellent spells, flighting his off-spinners well and finishing the day with three wickets for 57 runs.
Only Michael Price and Colin Ingram were able to get among the runs for the home team.
By lunch, the Warriors, who won the toss and elected to bat first, were struggling at 53 for three wickets after 29 overs, with Siboto having early on taken the wickets of opener Somila Seyibokwe and the in-form Colin Ackermann in consecutive balls, both caught by wicketkeeper Rudi Second.
At 20/2, the Warriors needed some stability and Price dropped anchor, playing each ball on its merits. Yaseen Vallie, who had averted the hat-trick, batted nicely for 16 but he was deceived by the flight and clean-bowled by Coetsee in the over leading up to lunch. At the interval, Price was on 25 scored off 87 balls.
After the break, Price and Ingram batted carefully with dogged resistance and ever so slowly the score mounted. Price was the first to the half-century milestone which he reached in 219 minutes with seven fours having faced 150 balls, while Ingram’s fifty was reached in 116 minutes off 96 balls, also with seven boundaries.
The two were still together at the tea interval which was taken with the score on 142/3 after 62 overs with Price on 60 and Ingram on 54.
But as so often happens, the interval acted as a successful change bowler and shortly after the break, moments after the pair had reached a partnership of 100 for the fourth wicket, Siboto struck again.
Price was trapped leg before wicket for 62 at 153/4. Price batted for just over two-and-a half hours and struck nine fours off 191 balls.
Thereafter, there was a procession as Clyde Fortuin, 2, Jerry Nqolo, 1, Ingram, who had proceeded to 89, Sisanda Magala, 0, and Andrew Birch, 2, were dismissed.
Ingram was unfortunate in that he played a full-blooded pull shot to Siboto, only to be brilliantly caught by Quinton Friend at square-leg. He scored 13 fours in his innings off 162 balls faced.
Basheeru-Dean Walters and Simon Harmer will resume the batting this morning. Walters showed some resistance with two attacking boundary shots off Coetsee, one of which sailed over the long-on boundary. — DDC
Knights bowlers on a roll against Warriors
The five toiled in the hot sun while keeping the Warriors batsmen on the back foot for long sessions and at close of play – which stopped six overs early because of bad light – the home team were on 210/9.
The pick of the bowlers was medium-pacer Malusi Siboto who always looked dangerous, swinging the ball at times while picking up six important wickets for only 39 runs off 21 overs.
Siboto was well supported by Knights skipper Werner Coetsee who weighed in with a number of excellent spells, flighting his off-spinners well and finishing the day with three wickets for 57 runs.
Only Michael Price and Colin Ingram were able to get among the runs for the home team.
By lunch, the Warriors, who won the toss and elected to bat first, were struggling at 53 for three wickets after 29 overs, with Siboto having early on taken the wickets of opener Somila Seyibokwe and the in-form Colin Ackermann in consecutive balls, both caught by wicketkeeper Rudi Second.
At 20/2, the Warriors needed some stability and Price dropped anchor, playing each ball on its merits. Yaseen Vallie, who had averted the hat-trick, batted nicely for 16 but he was deceived by the flight and clean-bowled by Coetsee in the over leading up to lunch. At the interval, Price was on 25 scored off 87 balls.
After the break, Price and Ingram batted carefully with dogged resistance and ever so slowly the score mounted. Price was the first to the half-century milestone which he reached in 219 minutes with seven fours having faced 150 balls, while Ingram’s fifty was reached in 116 minutes off 96 balls, also with seven boundaries.
The two were still together at the tea interval which was taken with the score on 142/3 after 62 overs with Price on 60 and Ingram on 54.
But as so often happens, the interval acted as a successful change bowler and shortly after the break, moments after the pair had reached a partnership of 100 for the fourth wicket, Siboto struck again.
Price was trapped leg before wicket for 62 at 153/4. Price batted for just over two-and-a half hours and struck nine fours off 191 balls.
Thereafter, there was a procession as Clyde Fortuin, 2, Jerry Nqolo, 1, Ingram, who had proceeded to 89, Sisanda Magala, 0, and Andrew Birch, 2, were dismissed.
Ingram was unfortunate in that he played a full-blooded pull shot to Siboto, only to be brilliantly caught by Quinton Friend at square-leg. He scored 13 fours in his innings off 162 balls faced.
Basheeru-Dean Walters and Simon Harmer will resume the batting this morning. Walters showed some resistance with two attacking boundary shots off Coetsee, one of which sailed over the long-on boundary. — DDC
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