Cricket news - Tony de Zorzi, Henry Davids power Titans to victory with bonus point

Titans openers Tony de Zorzi and Henry Davids made mincemeat of Knights' first-innings effort of 262 for five, as they helped their team race away to an emphatic nine-wicket win that came with a bonus point.

Knights, who were asked to bat first in Centurion, didn't enjoy similar luxury at the top of the order as they lost openers Grant Mokoena and Andries Gous for just 49 runs. Keegan Petersen intended to pick up the pieces but didn't find an able ally until No.7 batsman Ryan McLaren walked out with the team on flimsy footing at 88 for 5 in the 21st over.

During the course of an innings-defining partnership, Petersen scored a century and finished unbeaten on 107 off 139 delivers - with 12 fours. McLaren too was undefeated, walking off for a feisty 83-ball 80. Though the partnership airlifted the team out of the early rubbles, they could only take them as far as 262 in 50 overs.

The resilliance of that pair eventually meant precious little as Titans laid the edifice of their run-chase via their openers. The pair didn't just score the bulk of the target, but also got it at brisk pace to take the opposition out of the game very early in the second innings. Davids, who entertained with eight fours and four sixes, was dismissed in the 27th over for a 73-ball 84.

That hardly was a breather for the Knights as Heino Kuhn threw his bat around from the outset, smashing his way through to an unbeaten 52 off just 37 balls. Zorzi went on to outscore Knights' centurion by eight runs and pulled it off in a winning effort - that came off a six after the scores were level in the 39th over.

Brief Scores: Knights 262/5 in 50 overs (Keegan Petersen 107*, Henry Davids 84, Ryan McLaren 80*; Lungi Ngidi 2-35) beat Titans 268/1 in 38.4 overs (Tony de Zorzi 115*, Heino Kuhn 52*) by 9 wickets