Dolphins face uphill battle after Warriors' strong innings Day Two innings in 4-Day Series

The Dolphins will need to bat a whole lot better if they want to earn a play-off spot of the 4-Day Series after the Warriors had them against the ropes from the start of their first innings on Day Two on Friday in Gqeberha. 

After a masterful tail-end innings of 106 not out by Senuran Muthusamy, the Warriors were held to a target of 264 for the Dolphins to chase down in their first innings. 

But the Durban side failed to respond with the bat, losing their opening and middle order cheaply and resting their hopes on Khaya Zondo in the middle. 

Warriors bowler CJ King effortlessly ploughed a meek Dolphins batting order with his spell of 5/61 from 15 overs. 

Dolphins opening pair Sarol Erwee and Tshepang Dithole got the team off the mark but couldn’t quite get going for a solid opening partnership that would pose a threat to the Warriors. 

Erwee was King’s first victim, falling on 11/15 after he was caught by Sinethemba Qeshile. 

King struck again, this time, removing Dithole (23/21) from the crease with a beautiful lbw. Jason Smith was next to go for a duck after King bowled one right through the gates. 

By lunch, King was on a spell of 3/27 and the Dolphins in hot water, desperate to get runs on the board.

Lunch time break was extended a bit due to the rain delay but not much changed for the Dolphins, after Bryce Parsons (15/27) fell to a Siya Plaatjie ball, his only wicket of the day. 

Zondo got his eye in nicely and managed to work the ball around and remove some of the pressure off his team, but the Warriors kept throwing bombs. 

Romashan Pillay lost his wicket to a spectacular Renaldo Meyer delivery for a disappointing 8 from 10.

Meyer got some movement and bounce on the ball, squeezing Pillay in his crease and forcing an edge to second slip. 

After the fall of Pillay’s wicket, the Dolphins looked to be in a real tough spot at 73/5 and behind the Warriors by 191 runs. By Friday afternoon, the Durban boys had managed to claw their way to 123/6 with the Warriors showing no signs of letting off. 

The fall of Zondo [46/55] looked like an ending to their hopes of chasing down the 264 target, but spin bowler Prenelan Subrayen had the grit to put 49 runs on the board. 

Subrayen have his team a little breathing room with his knock of 49 from 60, even getting together a partnership with Tristan Luus. 

But that partnership was broken after the star of the show so far, Muthusamy wrapped up the Dolphins innings, quickly removing Luus (21/217) and Okuhle Cele (1/21) from the crease to call it a day on the Dolphins first innings. 

The Dolphins were bowled out for 208 runs, 56 runs behind the target and a lot more pressure on their shoulders knowing they may be out of the 4-day cup final should they lose. 

Jordan Hermann and Jiveshan Pillay took to the crease for the Warriors' second innings and had already put up a decent partnership of 25 runs after the first six overs. 

Stumps was called early because of rain after 10 overs with the Warriors on 42 for no wicket going into Day Three.