An outstanding 81 by Faf du Plessis led the Titans to a decisive 54-run victory over the Knights in their MTN40 match at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday.
Sent in to bat, the Titans put on 228/8 in their 40 overs, and then bowled the Knights out for 174 with 4.5 overs to spare.
The Titans' innings was a stop-start affair, with the hosts losing two wickets off successive balls in the fifth over. Pieter Malan was first to go, caught behind by Morne van Wyk off Johan van der Wath, and Henry Davids was run out off the next ball, as a result of a direct hit by Shadley van Schalkwyk.
Blake Snijman made 20 before he was bowled by Dillon du Preez, but Du Plessis and Jacques Rudolph steadied the ship with a 48-run fourth-wicket partnership, which ended when Van Schalkwyk bowled Rudolph for 45.
Rudolph's departure signalled something of a collapse, with Farhaan Behardien, Heino Kuhn and Mangaliso Mosehle all going cheaply, but Roelof van der Merwe joined Du Plessis in a valuable 66-run eighth-wicket partnership.
The Titans ended their innings on 228/8. Van der Wath and Dean Elgar took two wickets each.
Andre Nel, newly returned to his old franchise, saw to it that the Knights had a torrid start, when Morne van Wyk was caught behind by Kuhn off the second ball of the innings, before there was a run on the board. In his second over, he had Jandre van Wyk caught by Snijman for one.
Ethy Mbhalati then got into the action, with Reeza Hendricks caught by Kuhn for six, and Ryan Bailey was run out by former teammate CJ de Villiers for two, and the Knights were reeling on 26/4.
Rilee Rossouw and Dean Elgar brought some sanity to the innings with an excellent fifth wicket partnership of 79, bringing the Knights back into contention, until Mario Olivier bowled Rossouw for 60. Ryan McLaren was run out without scoring off the next ball, and the Knights were once again in trouble. Olivier took another wicket, with Obus Pienaar caught by Davids for four.
De Villiers put the Titans firmly on top with a brilliant running catch off Van der Merwe to dismiss Elgar for 63. He followed this up by taking two wickets to dismiss Du Preez and Aubrey Swanepoel, leaving the visitors 54 runs short.
Kuhn had a very good game with the gloves, taking four catches and effecting the run out of McLaren.
Olivier had the best bowling figures, with 2/20, but De Villiers will cherish his 2/47 against his former franchise.
The Titans earned a valuable bonus point, and are now top of their pool, with nine points. – Sapa