Elgar, Klaasen hand Titans advantage
Elgar edges Titans ahead
JOHANNESBURG, November 11 (ANA) – Half centuries by Dean Elgar and Heinrich Klaasen helped the Titans take control of the Warriors at the halfway stage of their round two 4-Day Domestic Series encounter in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.
There were also four wickets from Lizaad Williams at St George’s Park where the hosts were first bowled out for 231, before the visitors replied with 151/3.
That left the Centurion-based outfit trailing by 80 at the close, with right-hander Klaasen unbeaten on 50 (83 balls, three fours, two sixes).
It was a good day all-round for Mandla Mashimbyi’s side as they looked to make up for lost time due to rain on the opening day.
They began the morning in the field where they had the Warriors on 137/4, with four wickets falling relatively quickly to leave the home side in deep trouble.
Williams (4/64) claimed two of the victims – top-scorer Gihahn Cloete (66 off 173 balls, nine fours, one six) and Glenton Stuurman (0) – with Okuhle Cele (2/36) and Grant Thomson (2/9) also striking.
The hosts slumped to 170/8 at one stage, before being mildly rescued by Jon-Jon Smuts (41 not out) and Tshepo Ntuli (30) through a 42-run ninth wicket stand.
Junio Dala (2/85) then mopped up the tail with the locals dismissed in 73.5 overs.
The Titans reply did not start off well as Aiden Markram (17) and Theunis de Bruyn (0) were dismissed in the same over by Stuurman (2/42), playing his first match since his maiden call up by the Proteas for their upcoming limited-overs series against England.
It left the score on 27/2, before Elgar and Klaasen knuckled down and put on 102 for the third wicket to help their side get out of trouble.
South Africa opener Elgar, who has begun the season with scores of 101 and 58 in round one, eventually fell to Smuts (1/40), caught by Sinethemba Qeshile, for 66 (128 balls, 10 fours), with Sibonelo Makhanya (12) unbeaten alongside Klaasen at the close. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman
