By merely getting on to the field at Senwes Park and scoring 217 against the Lions, the Cobras have taken the lead in the tight Sunfoil race.
That gave them 2.34 batting points, which will have edged them ahead of the Warriors, who had yet another day’s play against the Dolphins washed out without a ball being bowled.
The Titans and the Knights, too, spent the day amusing themselves in Centurion, unable to get on to the field due to the weather.
The Lions were 117-2 at the close, which deprived the Cobras of their first bowling point. Omphile Ramela was on 58, alongside Rassie van der Dussen on 37.
At the start of the final round, the Warriors (128.04) led the race with the Cobras (127.02), while the Knights (124.32) and the Titans (121.58) were all in with a chance. The Dolphins (114.44) also had a mathematical chance of winning the four-day crown.
The Cobras were sent in to bat by the Lions, who are out of the running after two losses in the series. Having lost one day’s play already, there would have been a sense of urgency, but their innings was probably not what they were expecting.
They were doing well at 111-2 after 31 overs, when Stiaan van Zyl fell to Wihan Lubbe’s spin after scoring 47 off 54. Zubayr Hamza went on to score a fine 57 off 86, with seven fours and a six, until he was bowled by Nono Pongolo, immediately after Kyle Verreynne was dismissed with the score on 140.
Dane Paterson injected some power-hitting, smashing an unbeaten 35 off 23 balls (3×4, 2×6).
Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix
