da fazobetai： KwaZulu-Natal drew first blood as the second match of the competition noteam wanted to be in, the Supersport Shield, got under way, scoring 303 allout after winning the toss
Grant Shimmin – MWP26-Jan-2001KwaZulu-Natal drew first blood as the second match of the competition noteam wanted to be in, the Supersport Shield, got under way, scoring 303 allout after winning the toss.A huge six by number 10 Gary Gilder off left-armer Nicholas Mataboge in the97th over ensured the Dolphins would reach 300 before the mandatorydeclaration after 100 overs, a factor which was rendered academic when lastman in Jon Bastow was caught by Zander de Bruyn in the gully off the nextball, the first of Ottis Gibson’s 22nd over, giving the West Indian hissixth wicket.Gibson finished with six for 53, his best figures of a disappointing seasonfor the re-named Highveld Strikers, who have failed to live up to thebilling of their new team song, which refers to them as the “Extreme team”of South African cricket. The fact that they’re playing in the SupersportShield, the virtually meaningless competition for the only three provincialsides not to make the Super Eight phase of the Supersport Series, shows justhow wide of the mark that has been.By the close, having faced just two overs before bad light brought play to ahalt, the Strikers had progressed to one without loss, that run going toSven Koenig.The day was largely a tale of two men from the Caribbean, with 40-year-oldAntiguan Eldine Baptiste top-scoring for the visitors with 57 off 96 balls,including six fours, before becoming the fifth victim for Barbadian Gibson.Aside from Baptiste, who shared an 84-run eighth-wicket partnership withErrol Stewart, after the Dolphins had lost four wickets for 15 runs to be202 for seven, opener Mark Bruyns made 53, including 11 fours, and AhmedAmla made exactly 50, striking six boundaries.