Cobras thrash the Titans

The Cape Cobras lifted their Standard Bank Pro20 Series game to a new level when they pulverised the Titans by 38 runs at Newlands on Wednesday night and ensured their place in the semifinals of the lucrative competition.

This result has now opened up a sizeable gap at the top of the log with the Cobras and the Lions (12 points) well clear of the rest of the field, with the Warriors having six points, the Eagles five, the Titans four and the Dolphins only two.

The latter, however, have three matches left to play, although two of them are away from home against the Eagles and the Titans.

The Titans, in turn, have to beat the Lions on Friday night to keep their semifinal hopes alive.

The odds must nevertheless be very much on the Lions and Cobras hosting the two semifinals next weekend. The Cobras' final league match is against the Dolphins on Friday night at Kingsmead.

There were three heroes for the Cobras on a night of local franchise records, with Adam Bacher and JP Duminy sharing a magnificent 128-run opening partnership off only 81 balls with 13 fours and five sixes and then the ever-reliable Charl Willoughby taking two wickets up front and also making a direct hit run out to make sure that the Titans could not get away to a competitive reply.

The Cobras total of 212 was the second-highest in the history of the domestic competition, being beaten only by the 225 that the Eagles scored against the Lions two seasons ago when Loots Bosman made the competition's only individual century to date.

The Bacher-Duminy partnership was also a franchise record as was the total of 11 sixes hit in the innings for a total of 28 boundaries.

Duminy's individual contribution of 93 off 57 balls with seven fours and four sixes also equalled the innings that Henry Davids had played against the Eagles last Friday night although the latter has a slight edge because he was not out.

While Bacher again stood out with his ability to improvise and get down the wicket to alter the bowlers' lengths, Duminy played as close to a classic innings as can be achieved in this type of cricket.

It was only in the closing couple of overs that the left-hander resorted to slogging. Up to that stage he had played a succession of textbook drives and pulls.

There was a brief respite for the Titans' bowlers when Bacher was dismissed (68 off 43 balls with seven fours and four sixes) but the opening pair had laid a foundation that made sure that a total of more than 200 would be put on the board.

That became a certainty when Rory Kleinveldt scored 16 incredible runs (two sixes and a four) off the only three balls that he faced!

The Titans were actually on target to win when they reached 50 off 31 balls for the loss of only one wicket, but then Willoughby did his stuff. He had run out Faf du Plessis for the first wicket, cleverly throwing the ball between the batsman's legs as he tried to protect his wicket. He then took a juggling caught and bowled to get rid of Goolam Bodi and bowled Albie Morkel with a perfect blockhole delivery.

Once Willoughby had struck, the Titans continued to lose too many wickets too quickly and in the end only just stopped the Cobras from securing a bonus point.