Badgers vs Titans in Oudtshoorn: Phehlukwayo faces his parent side in the Super Eights
The CSA T20 Challenge Super Eights begin at the Recreation Ground in Oudtshoorn on Thursday, 29 October, with the first ball at 13:00 local time. South Western Districts, the Garden Route Badgers, host the Titans, the team that set the pace in Pool B. The obvious subplot is Andile Phehlukwayo, who is on loan at the Badgers and now faces the side that holds his registration.
Badgers: a bowling side looking for runs
The Badgers did not reach this stage comfortably. Their place was settled only when the North West Dragons' final pool fixture was abandoned, and in their last game they lost to the Dolphins in a rain-shortened match. Ottniel Baartman removed Yaseen Valli, Slade van Staden and Pheko Moletsane early, and the rain only shortened an innings that was already going nowhere (SuperSport).
The totals show the pattern. Across their last five completed games they made 131, 137, 150, 68 and 127, and 150 was the best of them. Their wins came in chases of modest targets, the most recent being 127/4 against Northern Cape on 21 October, with Van Staden's 43 and Janneman Malan's 23.
Malan is captain and holds the batting together, with 67 not out against the Dragons and 46 against Limpopo. The worry is that he often has to rebuild rather than kick on. Against the Dolphins he finished unbeaten while the innings around him failed to build momentum.
The darkest memory is from this ground. On 16 October the Warriors bowled the Badgers out for 68 in 16.2 overs. Kerwin Mungroo conceded only 7 runs from his four overs with the new ball, and Thomas Kaber's left-arm wrist spin took 3/10 (SuperSport).
The bowling has carried the side. Leo Sadler took 4/18 against the Dragons and 3/32 against Northern Cape. Liam Alder has gone for 15 and 18 runs in his last two full four-over spells. Phehlukwayo brings international experience to a young group, and he is plainly enjoying it: "It has been unbelievable to be with the Badgers" (Club Cricket SA).
Titans: depleted, but still heavily armed
The Titans are without four players. Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch and Simon Harmer are with South Africa for the Newlands Test against Australia, which costs the side top-order leadership, seam depth and its specialist offspinner (SuperSport).
What remains is still frightening. Lhuan-dre Pretorius made 188 not out off 79 balls in a total of 267/3 against the Knights, then added 80 against Eastern Storm and 81 against the Tuskers. Dewald Brevis hit 83 off 26 balls and 65 not out off 22 in the games either side of those.
Pretorius, Brevis and captain Donovan Ferreira all played in the latest match at Boland Park on 25 October, which was recorded as no result. Pretorius kept wicket and opened with Lethabo Phahlamohlaka (Cricbuzz). New signing Sinethemba Qeshile also added 46 off 29 against the Tuskers.
The bowling is less of a fortress. The Tuskers made 183/6 in reply to the Titans' 204, though a side that bats like this can afford a leaky spell. Junior Dala, Eathan Bosch, Duan Jansen and Aphiwe Mnyanda give Ferreira seam options, with Dayyaan Galiem in support. Tabraiz Shamsi, who took 3/21 against Eastern Storm, is in the squad (Willow).
Shamsi, the new ball and a long afternoon for the hosts
The forecast is for a hot, sunny afternoon with little risk of rain. With a 13:00 start there is no evening dew to tilt things towards the side batting second, so the toss is less important than usual (CricketSix). The surface has rewarded tight seam and wrist spin, as the Warriors showed, but the Lions also made 175/1 here.
The key matchup is Shamsi against the Badgers' middle order. Kaber's 3/10 here shows how much trouble left-arm wrist spin has given these batters. The Badgers' opening pair is the other weak point: if the Titans' seamers take early wickets, Malan will be left nursing the innings again.
The market has the Titans at 1.14 and South Western Districts at 5.72, which makes the Titans overwhelming favourites. I agree with it, though not happily. The Badgers' best total this season would barely get Brevis to the halfway mark of one of his innings.
The hosts' only realistic route is to bowl first and keep the target near 150, with Sadler and Alder doing what they did in the pool stage. Then someone other than Malan has to bat through the middle overs. Malan has asked the Oudtshoorn community to come out for two home matches "against quality opposition" (SuperSport). I hope they come, and I hope they bring patience: the Titans are the clear favourites.
