A dominant century from Titans and Proteas opener Aiden Markram was the highlight of the day’s proceeding as Round 3 of the CSA 4-Day Series got underway on Monday.
CSA 4-Day Series wrap
The men from the nation’s capital were up against the struggling Warriors in Centurion, while the other two fixtures pitted the Lions up against the high-flying Knights at The Wanderers, with the Cobras in Durban for a clash against the Dolphins.
Stumps were called prematurely across all three matches due to bad light.
Titans vs Warriors at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Headlining proceedings across the three grounds was Markram, who finished the day unbeaten on 149, with just 189 deliveries faced.
The 25-year-old will resume his innings in the morning with the Titans at 272 for six, alongside all-rounder Dayyan Galiem.
Such was Markram’s dominance with the willow, no other Titans batsman managed to reach 50, with Rivaldo Moonsamy’s 35 the closest thing to the milestone.
Keeping the Warriors in the contest was Mthiwekhaya Nabe with figures of three for 77, while Marco Jansen also chipped in with two wickets of his own.
Lions vs Knights at the Wanderers, Johannesburg
Some 40-odd kilometres away from Markram’s onslaught was a see-saw contest between the unbeaten Knights and the winless Lions.
The hosts won the toss and elected to field on a seaming pitch at The Wanderers in what was the first televised match of this season’s 4-Day Series.
Sisanda Magala exploited the conditions brilliantly, as he claimed his tenth five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket.
His effort restricted the usually free-scoring Knights to 291-9 in 80 overs before light stopped play.
For the batting side, all-rounder Migael Pretorius top-scored with an unbeaten 73 off 91 balls, while Grant Mokoena notched up a patient half-century, with his innings finishing 50 on the dot off 148 deliveries.
Dolphins vs Cobras at Kingsmead, Durban
In Durban, Proteas duo Senuran Muthusamy and Khaya Zondo both reached 50, along with skipper Marques Ackerman as the Dolphins finished the day on 277 for five against the Cobras.
Playing as an opener, Muthusamy top-scored with 79 in an innings that lasted 245 balls, while his captain was in more of a hurry, taking just 86 deliveries for his 66. Both players are back in the hut, but Zondo remains standing with 60 to his name.
The wickets were spread out evenly among the Cobras bowlers, with Nandre Burger, Corbin Bosch, Calvin Savage and Aviwe Mgijima all getting a scalp apiece.
Zondo will resume his innings alongside Ruan de Swart, who is yet to get off the mark.
