Senuran Muthusamy’s defensive batting saves Warriors from hungry Dolphins

Warriors spinner Senuran Muthusamy was the team’s saving grace with the bat on Thursday against a motivated Dolphins team, scoring 93 not out in their Four-Day Series clash in Gqeberha.

Jordan Hermann (52 off 118 balls) was the only Warriors top-order batsman to value his wicket and put up a fight against the Durban boys. 

Jiveshan Pillay, Matthew de Villiers, JP King and Sinethemba Qeshile all crumbled under the weight of the Dolphins bowling attack and failed to reach double figures.

Tristan Luus picked up the first wicket of the day with the run out of Pillay.

Luus went on to produce figures of 2/63 from his 16 overs, but was the Dolphins’ most expensive bowler. 

Paceman Eathan Bosch shone with the ball at St George’s Park, picking apart the Warriors and producing the best figures of the day with 2/36 from 16 overs. 

The Dolphins seemed confident going into lunch, having held off the Warriors to a mere 62/4.

But Hermann would fall softly after play resumed, as Bosch claimed the second wicket of the day. 

But the Warriors would see momentum swing back into their favour, at least for a little bit, when Muthusamy and Andile Mogakane put up a decent fight and stood their ground, and even built a 29-run partnership.

Their stand extended to 65, at a run rate of 2.5 per over. Both players looked settled at the crease, and worked the ball around nicely to put pressure back onto the Dolphins attack. 

Mogakane was clearly the aggressor of the two, while Muthusamy opted to play at a much slower pace.

But Luus’ second wicket of the day would break up the Warriors’ only middle-order partnership after Mogakane fell for 36 (off 61 balls). 

CJ King tried his best with the bat towards the end of day, adding 24 to the Warriors tally before Prenelan Subrayen would claim his first wicket. 

Subrayen struck again shortly after, removing Jason Raubenheimer from the crease easily.

Siya Plaatjie was the last wicket to fall for the Warriors before the close of the day, as the home team will resume on Friday morning on 244/9, with Muthusamy still at the crease hoping to follow through to a century. 

In other Four-Day Series clashes, the Dragons and Western Province, as well as the Knights vs Lions, rain made any play impossible.

Stumps called on the Titans and Boland at Centurion, with the Cape side on 156/5 after batting first against the second-placed hosts.