Seamer Codi Yusuf (centre) has bowled the Lions to the brink of victory in the CSA First-Class final at the Wanderers. Picture: BackpagePix
Image: Picture: BackpagePix
The last day of the South African cricket summer has arrived, and the Lions require seven wickets to claim a successive CSA First-Class title at the Wanderers on Monday.
The home team were utterly dominant on the fourth day of the showpiece final with their impressive bowling unit forcing the Titans to follow-on after the visitors were dismissed for just 123 in response to the Lions’ 413/7.
With the Lions’ bowlers only utilising 47 overs to dismiss the Titans, captain Dominic Hendricks had no hesitation in asking his bowling unit to strap on their boots again.
And although the Titans’ batters have fared much better second time around, heading to stumps at 118/3, they still trail by a mammoth 172 runs.
Hendricks’ mainstays have been seamers Codi Yusuf and Lutho Sipamla. Yusuf bowled with plenty of pace and aggression in the Titans’ first innings as he ran through the middle to lower order as the visitors lost four wickets for just 20 runs.
Yusuf finished with the impressive figures of 4/46 from 16 overs after Sipamla’s (2/31) double strike on the third day.
Sipamla struck two heavy blows for the Lions in the Titans’ second innings too, removing captain Neil Brand (9) and Dewald Brevis (26). The latter looked to launch a counterattack with five boundaries in his 28-ball cameo before he fell victim to Sipamla for the second time in the final.
Lions’ stalwart Bjorn Fortuin also continued to do “Bjorn Fortuin things” with the left-arm spinner adding the scalp of Titans opener Joshua van Heerden to his first innings’ 3/27.
The Titans’ slim hopes of survival rests on former Proteas top-order batter Keegan Petersen’s shoulders.
The experienced No 3 was the lone battler in the Titans’ first innings with a half-century and has followed it up with another unbeaten 50 off 97 deliveries.
Petersen will know that for the Titans’ to stand any chance of survival he will need to convert his innings into a substantial three-figure score.
Fortunately for the Titans, Petersen will resume his innings on the final day with Lhuan-dre Pretorius alongside him.
The impressive teenager was unbeaten on 30 when then Titans’ first innings closed and was visibly disappointed when Yusuf dismissed tailenders Janco Smit and Tshepo Ndwandwa within three balls of each other.
He is now just on six not out, but has the senior figure of Petersen as company.
Monday’s final day will certainly be a test of the 19-year-old’s credentials, as he has already shown that he can blast his way out of trouble, but now will need to show that he has both the mental capacity and aptitude to help save his team from defeat on the final day of South Africa’s season.