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Langeveldt hat-trick for Cobras
02/04/2008 22:00 - (SA)
Centurion - A hat-trick by Charl Langeveldt helped the Cape Cobras to an impressive 50 run victory with 14 balls to spare over the Titans in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at SuperSport Park on Wednesday.
Chasing 166 to win, the Titans were all out for 105 in the 18th over.
Pierre Joubert won the toss and sent the Cobras in to bat first. The visitors got off to a good start until Ethy Mbhalati took two wickets in the same over to pull the run rate back. First to go was Richard Levi, who was caught on the boundary by Aaron Phangiso for 11, and five balls later, Herschelle Gibbs, who earlier in the day had been reprimanded at a Cricket South Africa disciplinary hearing for sticking his tongue out at a spectator during the Cobras match against the Dolphins last week, was caught by Faf du Plessis without scoring.
Andrew Puttick and Henry Davids made 91 off 66 balls for the third wicket before Puttick was caught by Jaco Booysen off Du Plessis. He had reached his fourth T20 50, and his 59 came off 44 balls and included five fours and three sixes.
Davids got to his second T20 half century 38 balls, but was out shortly afterwards, caught by Albie Morkel off Andre Nel for 57.
Worst possible start
Mbhalati (two for 29) and Mbhalati (one for 28) were the pick of the bowlers, while Roelof van der Merwe, who has won three man of the match awards in recent encounters, had a miserable time, conceding two six off his only over. The Cobras finished their 20 overs on 165 for five.
The Titans got off to the worst possible start when Jaco Booysen was run out for one off the second ball of the innings. Matters only got worse in the third over, when Langeveldt took his hat-trick to dismiss Van der Merwe, Du Plessis and Farhaan Behardien to have the Titans in dire straits on nine for four.
Gulam Bodi and Morkel went some way to restoring the Titans innings, but when Bodi was caught on the boundary by Stiaan van Zyl for 18 and Morkel gave his wicket away when he sent the ball straight to Vernon Philander at wide mid-on with his score on 28, the writing was on the wall.
Heino Kuhn made 24 at a run a ball before he was caught by Langeveldt off Con de Lange, but with the required run rate rising to more than 20 an over, the Titans were out for the count, and the Cobras victory was just a matter of time.
It must have been sweet revenge for the Cobras, who were the only team to beat the Titans in the MTN domestic championship, only to miss out on the chance of qualifying for the final when the semi-final against the Titans was washed out by persistent rain in the Gauteng area.
- SAPA
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