Titans cruise to 10-wicket win over Cobras with day to spare
The Cape Cobras suffered a 10-wicket loss to The Unlimited Titans at Willowmoore Park with the match ending in just three days on Monday as Tabriaz Shamsi collected a haul of 12 wickets.
Shamsi returned figures of 7/63 in the second innings and 12/85 in the match, as the Cobras were bowled out for 320 as they followed on.
That set the Titans a target of 66 to win, which they knocked off in just 6.4 overs to complete the job before the tea break, with Heino Kuhn scoring 32 not out from 18 balls and Grant Mokoena making 27 not out.
The Cobras began the third day on 122 for two, still trailing by 133, and gave themselves a chance of putting up a reasonable lead by moving their score along to 227 whilst only losing Justin Ontong for 47.
But their growing confidence was shattered in the lead-up to lunch when a 64-run stand between Keegan Petersen (45) and Andrew Puttick was broken by Junior Dala (3 for 74), and in the next over Puttick was caught behind off Shamsi to depart for 92.
Shamsi went on to dismiss Lesiba Ngoepe on the stroke of lunch, then put himself on a hat-trick when he trapped Rory Kleinveldt lbw with the first ball after the break.
When Siya Simetu and then Dane Paterson also fell to the left-arm spinner, the Cobras were nine wickets down and still trailing by 12 runs.
Yet Dane Vilas took the attack to the Titans and Lizaad Williams clung on, as the pair put on 77 for the last wicket to avoid what would have been a second straight innings defeat.
Vilas was unbeaten on 69 at a run a ball when Shamsi finally ended their fun by inducing an edge from Williams.
With Kuhn and Mokoena sealing the win, the Titans have taken maximum points from their opening two games at home, while the Cobras will go into the new year hoping that it brings a turnaround in their fortunes.
ANA
(File photo)