WP final chances fading fast

Western Province ended a roller-coaster second day of this Super 6 match still trailing their visitors from KwaZulu Natal by 138 runs with just three wickets in hand.

KZN added just 11 runs to their overnight score before Lance Klusener and wicket keeper Duncan Brown were dismissed off successive deliveries by left arm spinner Claude Henderson. At the other end, Dale Benkenstein was unable to produce the concentration of the first day and was taken behind the wicket on 145 after being dropped on 139, the first error in his seven-and-a-half hour effort. Nixon McLean entertained the small crowd, hitting two sixes before holing out to deep mid wicket to end the innings on a sizeable total of 374. Henderson, after going wicketless for his first 30 overs, took 4 for 18 in the space of 52 balls.

The WP openers faced 3 torrid overs from McLean before lunch, but then batted through the middle session, adding 94 between lunch and tea. Rashaad Magiet went on the record his highest score at this level before a dramatic collapse. Three wickets fell with the score on 115, and all in all WP lost 6 for 49 in the space of 22 overs. Jonathan Trott made a disappointing effort to pull early in his innings, and Lloyd Ferreira was just settling in when he left a McLean delivery which came in enough to rattle his stumps.

It could have been worse as captain HD Ackerman battled to read the unorthodox left arm spin of Goolam Bodi, and could have been dismissed on numerous occasions. He survived somehow, and with the belligerent all rounder Alan Dawson added a crusial 72 runs for the seventh wicket. The penultimate over of the day was full of action, as Ackerman took a boundary of the first ball to raise his 50 and avoid the follow in one fell swoop. He and Dawson each clubbed a boundary before Dawson cut the last ball of the over straight to the ever reliable Rhodes at point.

By the close, WP had reached 2.72 bonus points for batting to remain in third place on the table, and their only realistic hope of reaching the Final remains with the unlikely prospect of an outright win in this match.