Captain Justin Ontong and middle-order batsman Keegan Petersen showed the fighting qualities that have been largely missing from the Cape Cobras this season on day two of their Sunfoil Series clash against the Dolphins in Paarl.
The misfiring Cobras, who have lost three out of four games, were staring down the barrel of yet another defeat just after the tea interval at Boland Park on Friday.
They allowed the KwaZulu-Natal side to add another 193 runs to their overnight score of 285/5 in two sessions, with centurion Khaya Zondo finishing on 157 off 254 balls (27x4) and captain Morné van Wyk a painstaking but valuable 79 in 221 deliveries (7x4).
The lower-order contributions of Robbie Frylinck (58 off 75), Mthokozisi Shezi (29) and Imran Tahir (21) extended the Cobras’ misery in the afternoon as the Dolphins ended on 478 all out.
Only Dane Paterson, with 5/79 in 32 overs, and young all-rounder Jason Smith (2/33 in 19 overs) impressed with the ball for the home side.
With regular skipper Omphile Ramela suspended and Andrew Puttick on compassionate leave, the Cobras already under pressure before they went out to bat. And things didn’t get much better once their innings got under way.
After his handy runs with the bat, Frylinck (3/19) got stuck in with the ball, getting rid of new openers Cebo Tshiki (9) and Pieter Malan (8), and big fish of Proteas left-hander Stiaan van Zyl for a first-ball duck.
Disaster struck again for Paul Adams’ team when Smith was out for one to Shezi, and the Cobras were in dire straits at 22/4.
But then Ontong found a willing partner in fellow Bolander Petersen, who is also wearing the wicket-keeper gloves in this game. They put on an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 110, with Ontong moving on to his 66th first-class half-century with an undefeated 66 off 111 balls (9x4), while Petersen scored more freely in compiling a vital 45 not out (77 deliveries, 7x4).
The Cobras went to stumps on 132/4 in 36 overs. They are still an enormous 346 runs behind the Dolphins, and don’t have much batting to come, with just Aviwe Mgijima, Dane Piedt and debutant Dayyaan Galiem who are handy with the willow.
Proteas ODI leg-spinner Imran Tahir didn’t have any success (0/25 in five overs) on Friday, but has the ability to run through the tail, so Adams will hope that Ontong and Petersen can bat for at least the first session on Saturday to have any slight hope of saving the game.