Morné van Wyk’s fantastic hundred, combined with an electrifying finish featuring two consecutive sixes from Rob Frylinck off the last two balls, secured a memorable three-wicket victory for the Hollywoodbets Dolphins against the WSB Cape Cobras in the Momentum One Day Cup at Paarl on Wednesday.
Morné van Wyk showed why he’s a legend in the game, anchoring the Dolphins’ record-breaking chase at Eurolux Boland Park, while Rob Frylinck’s calm and powerful hitting under pressure proved why he’s one of South Africa’s finest finishers in domestic cricket.
Winning the toss under the scorching Winelands sun, the Cobras opted to bat first on a dry pitch, but the Dolphins got off to a flying start as Frylinck quickly dismissed the dangerous Richard Levi for a duck in the very first over.
Despite the early setback, Pieter Malan (62) and Aviwe Mgijima (40) steadied the innings with a patient 103-run partnership for the second wicket, gaining the Cobras valuable momentum.
Mgijima was soon caught out by Sarel Erwee with a reverse sweep, followed swiftly by the dismissal of Malan, LBW to Imran Tahir, leaving the Cobras at 105/3.
Captain JP Duminy joined hands with the promising Jason Smith, pushing the score along with a spirited 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket. However, Smith fell for 16, trapped by Frylinck, while Duminy continued to keep the Dolphins’ bowlers on their toes.
Duminy’s well-crafted innings of 86 from 66 balls laid the foundation for a competitive total, supported by useful contributions from Wayne Parnell (32) and Kyle Veryenne (32), as the Cobras declared on 289/6.
Rob Frylinck shone with the ball as well, finishing with impressive figures of 3/44 from his 10 overs. Other wickets were shared by Calvin Savage, Sibz Makhanya, and Prenelan Subrayen.
The Dolphins began their chase explosively with openers Morné van Wyk and Sarel Erwee smashing a record-breaking 161-run partnership at Boland Park. Erwee was run out after a classy knock of 80 from 69 balls.
Van Wyk continued to anchor the innings, reaching his 24th List A hundred and bringing up a well-earned century off 130 balls before edging George Linde to point for 107.
Senuran Muthusamy gave a solid effort with 35 runs from 38 balls before the Dolphins hit a rough patch; Wayne Parnell bowled Muthusamy, and captain Khaya Zondo followed shortly after for a duck.
The Dolphins found themselves on the edge at 240/4 with seven overs left to play.
Despite tight bowling from the Cobras, and with the scoreboard reading 277/6 and 13 runs needed off the last six balls, the match came down to the final over.
Calvin Savage fell on the fourth ball of the final over, leaving the Dolphins requiring 11 runs off two deliveries. Rising to the occasion, Frylinck smashed two out-of-the-park sixes off Ferisco Adams’ bowling to clinch an unforgettable victory.
The Hollywoodbets Dolphins are now set to return home for an exciting clash against the VKB Knights at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead in the Momentum One Day Cup on Friday, 12 January.
For more details, visit the official Dolphins Cricket website at www.dolphinscricket.co.za
