Titans proved themselves in no small measure when they rose to dizzy heights to short-circuit Brisbane Heat in a keenly contested low-scoring Group B league match of the CLT20 at PCA Stadium on Tuesday.
In a match which got delayed by 45 minutes because of wet conditions, Titans defended a small total of 123 and recorded their first win. For the second successive match, Brisbane Heat bowlers, particularly debutant Mathew Gale, bowled their hearts out but the batsmen made a mess of their job. Heat were dismissed for 119 and Titans won by four runs.
Titans made early inroads. Left-arm seamer Rowan Richards removed opener Joe Burns and then Marchant de Lange made it 24 for three by dismissing Peter Forrest and Ben Cutting.
There was a period of hope for Brisbane when skipper James Hopes and Daniel Christian were involved in a 44-run stand for the fourth wicket. Christian’s dismissal in the 14th over proved the turning point. The wickets tumbled and the Heats choked. There was some excitement when Chris Sabburg rattled off 19 off seven balls but in the end Titans held their nerves with De Lange shattering Alister McDermott’s stumps off the last ball of the match.
It was a mid-innings disaster for Titans, who sank from 90 for three in 13 overs, to lose seven wickets in six overs. Titans had started well. After Rudolph left in the second over, skipper Henry Davids and Heine Kuhn batted aggressively to put on 69 runs in 8.2 overs. But once Cutting broke the second wicket partnership, there was a dramatic collapse. Davids looked in good touch but a misunderstanding between him and AB de Villiers led to the skipper being run out.
Brief scores: Titans 123 in 18.5 overs (Henry Davids 39, Matthew Gale 4/10) bt Brisbane Heat 119 in 20 overs (James Hopes 37, Marchant de Lange 3/13).