Home team Titans showed T&T how to defend a total at Centurion as they took care of Australia's Perth Scorchers by 39 runs in the opening match of the Karbonn Smart Champions League T20 tournament at Centurion, South Africa, yesterday. Jacques Rudolph and Henry Davids smashed the bowling to all parts of the ground as they posted an opening stand of 109 in 12.2 overs. This ensured their team to close their innings at 163 for four on a ground which is considered difficult to defend.
It was Davids who had taken charge initially, stepping out to the Scorchers quicks, who were not exactly bothering him with pace, and lofting them over the infield. The introduction of the chinaman bowler Brad Hogg restricted the runs from one end for a while but Davids broke free with a flat pulled six off Ben Edmondston, before showing off his timing by flicking the bowler into the deep midwicket rope for another six.
That stroke took Davids to 43 off 23 but he eased off after that, struggling to find the same fluency against the spinners Hogg and Michael Beer. Davids managed only 11 of his next 14 deliveries before being bowled by Beer for 54. Rudolph assumed charge even as Davids tapered off. Skipping away repeatedly to the leg side against the quicks, he was able to slice and stab them for boundaries over point. He ended with a brilliant unbeaten 83.
Scorchers were not chasing too many, but Titans' fast bowlers did not give them the length to drive, and the pressure showed soon. Ethy Mbahalati began the squeeze, getting his first delivery, in the third over, to probably hit one of the many thin cracks on the pitch and rear up alarmingly from a good length past Shaun Marsh. Mbahalati kept it back of a length for the rest of the over, which went for just four.
In the next over, Shaun Marsh chased a wide one from de Villiers and was caught at slip. Two balls later, Marcus North inside-edged an incoming shortish delivery onto his stumps. Herschelle Gibbs and Simon Katich hung around for a while, but managed only two boundaries in 47 deliveries between them, reflecting the discipline of the Titans' attack.
SCORES
Titans 163 for 4 (Rudolph 83*, Davids 54, Rimmington 2-20) beat Perth Scorchers 124 for 7 (M Marsh 52*, C de Villiers 3-16) by 39 runs.
