PRINT - Heat make Knights sweat on Day one of CSA 4-dayer

THE VISITING Flexbrands Knights won the toss and decided to bat on day one of the CSA 4-Day Series match against their hosts, the Northern Cape Heat, at the Kimberley Diamond Oval on Thursday.

Riding high after sweeping aside opposition in their earlier matches, the Knights are coming off two commanding wins at the Mangaung Oval – first an eight-wicket victory over the Eastern Storm, then an innings-and-99-run demolition of the Limpopo Impalas. Confidence must be high.

Though the Heat have endured a bruising 4-Day Series so far, they are known to be a handful at home.

The Knights have history on their side, having already beaten the Heat by 93 runs in Kimberley this season during the T20 Knockout’s opening round. But now the format is different, the stakes are higher – and there's reason to believe the Heat will fight with everything they have. 

At the time of going to press, rain had stopped play, and the Knights had not enjoyed the best of starts and were on 179/5 after 53 overs, scoring at a run rate of 3.6, with Gihahn Cloete top scoring with 86 off 109 balls (11x4s, 1x6). Opener Isaac Dikgale had contributed 36, and Ruan Haasbroek was still at the crease on 20.

The pick of the Heat bowlers was Tshepo Ntuli with his 3/38 and a miserly rate of 2.5. Odirile Modimokoane was the other wicket-taker with figures of 2/66.