Johannesburg — On Saturday, Dayyaan Galiem and “R5.5 million man” Donovan Ferreira held their calm, monitored the wind direction at the windy JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom, and led the Titans to victory in the CSA T20 Challenge final.
Galiem clipped the fourth ball of the last over through midwicket for four to seal the Titans’ triumph, but it was his 63-run partnership with Ferreira for the sixth wicket that swung the contest in their team’s favor.
In contrast to the Dolphins, who constructed their innings around a 115-run combination between Keegan Petersen and Jon-Jon Smuts, the Titans displayed their batting diversity. Theunis de Bruyn (32), Neil Brand (18), and Jiveshan Pillay (18) all made significant contributions on a day when Dewald Brevis, a budding superstar, failed, scoring only two goals before falling victim to a legside trap.
Galiem and Ferreira joined forces in the fourteenth over, with the Titans needing 64 more runs to win. Ferreira, noted for his powerful blows and also his poise, waited patiently before launching the assault. A strong wind, which blew away a storm that threatened to extend the game to Sunday, worked to their advantage.
“We needed 38 runs with four overs remaining, the wind was blowing in one direction, and they still had two overs to bowl in that direction, and happily it worked out,” said Ferreira, who scored 40 off 25 balls.
The decisive overs were Daryn Dupavillon’s 16th, which yielded 16 runs, and Ottniel Baartman’s 18th, in which the Titans scored 11 runs utilizing the wind.
Despite Ferreira being brilliantly put out by Marques Ackerman in the final over, Galiem remained composed, scoring the winning runs and sparking exuberant celebrations among blue-clad fans, including a rowdy group in the old main stand.
After winning the toss and deciding to bat, the Dolphins fought valiantly. They lost the tournament’s leading run-scorer, Grant Roelofson, on the first ball of the match, but then Petersen and Smuts built a brilliant partnership that anchored their innings.
Petersen, who was taken off the field on a stretcher after injured his hamstring while making a stop on the boundary during the Titans’ innings, batted magnificently in scoring 63 off 51 balls, smashing six fours and two sixes in the process.
Smuts scored 69 off 50 balls with eight fours and a six, but his dismissal in the nineteenth over proved decisive. Galiem bowled a succession of wide, slower balls, one of which led to the dismissal of Smuts, while conceding just one run.
This over was equally as vital as Galiem’s unbeaten 32 from 22 balls, since it ensured that the Titans would celebrate another championship.
Scorecard
HollywoodBets Dolphins 165/100
Increasing Titans 165/6