Plenty of work for Warriors
Moore, Ackermann step in to shore up batting The Warriors find themselves slightly on the back foot but resisting well after the second day’s play of their Sunfoil Series cricket match against the Hollywoodbets Dolphins at Buffalo Park in East London yesterday. At stumps, the home franchise was on 104 for the loss of one wicket, trailing the Dolphins by 374 runs. The Dolphins scored a massive 478 all out in their first innings and were dismissed shortly before the tea interval, by which time they had already claimed a wicket. Warriors opener Michael Price was clean-bowled by Dolphins speedster Craig Alexander on two when the total was four. But then two relatively young batsmen, opener Eddie Moore and No 3 Colin Ackermann, came together and they proceeded to bat with flair mixed with caution. Ackermann started off at great pace – his first four scoring strokes were boundaries – and before long had outstripped Moore. At stumps, Moore was on 46 off 132 balls with five boundaries and Ackermann had advanced to 56 off 122 balls, also with five fours. Both showed maturity beyond their years and defended grimly when necessary but were also quick to dispatch any loose deliveries. Earlier in the day, the Dolphins resumed their innings on 281 for five wickets, with Khaya Zondo on three and Dolphins skipper Morne van Wyk yet to open his account after facing three balls late on Wednesday when bad light brought play to an early end. The two started slowly in the face of some accurate and hostile bowling from Warriors fast bowlers Andrew Birch and Basheer-Dean Walters and it was Birch who made the initial breakthrough at 313 when he got a ball to jag back and trap Van Wyk in front for an LBW verdict. Van Wyk scored a patient – for him – 19 off 33 balls with three boundaries. Thereafter Zondo and the lower order of the Dolphins fired on all cylinders, with Keshav Maharaj, in particular, in attacking mood. Zondo went to his half-century with 10 fours and was eventually out for an excellent 81 scored off 150 balls with 13 fours. During the first hour’s play, Zondo had punished Warriors medium-pacer Sisanda Magala unmercifully, striking him for three fours in one over – two beautiful cover drives and an exquisite on-drive through mid-wicket – but Magala had his revenge when Zondo offered a catch to Warriors skipper Simon Harmer which was gratefully accepted. Maharaj, meanwhile, continued to bat in an attacking vein, and he took his score to 72 off only 71 balls, smashing four sixes and seven fours in a most entertaining innings which really took the stuffing out of the Warriors bowling attack. For the Warriors, Walters finished with the admirable figures of 4-72 off 25.3 overs and Birch 3-83 in 28 overs. Magala captured 2-82 and the other successful bowler was allounder Jerry Nqolo who had dismissed opener Sarel Erwee in his first over shortly after lunch on the opening day. International spinner Harmer had no luck, conceding 124 runs off 32 overs while gaining no assistance from the prevailing conditions. For the Warriors batsmen, there is still plenty of work to be done. They will need to consolidate early and then seek valuable batting bonus points.
