JOHANNESBURG, February 28, 2023 – Pace bowler Lutho Sipamla led a determined effort with the ball by the DP World Lions on the second day of their CSA 4-Day Series match against Western Province, taking four wickets to restrict the visitors’ lead at the DP World Wanderers Stadium on Monday.
When bad light stopped play 20 minutes before stumps, Western Province had reached 386 for nine, a lead of 63 runs with just one wicket remaining. The last pair of Tsepo Moreki and Dane Paterson are at the crease.
Sipamla led the Lions bowling on a good pitch for batting by taking four for 82 in 23.3 overs. He struck the first blow on the second morning as WP moved from their overnight 12 without loss to 23 when he bowled Eddie Moore (11) off the inside edge in the fourth over of the day.
The 24-year-old Sipamla, who has played three Tests, five ODIs and nine T20s for South Africa, had the happy knack of breaking crucial partnerships with his other three strikes on Monday.
Kyle Verreynne (68) had added 134 for the fourth wicket with Zubayr Hamza when Sipamla had him edging a fine delivery to debutant wicketkeeper Connor Esterhuizen; Mihlali Mpongwana (62) and Kyle Simmonds (40) then added 81 for the seventh wicket to bat WP into the lead, but Sipamla removed them both in the same over, the eighth with the second new ball.
Mpongwana was trapped lbw by a delivery that nipped back into him, while Simmonds miscued a pull shot to mid-on.
The strong WP response to the Lions’ first innings of 323 all out was established by Hamza’s classy century, the Proteas hopeful stroking an elegant 129 after a rocky morning had seen the visitors slip to 54 for three as Sisanda Magala removed left-handers Jonathan Bird (29), edging behind after the powerful paceman extracted extra bounce, and Daniel Smith (0), trapped lbw by a yorker.
Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin eventually caught-and-bowled Hamza after four-and-a-half hours at the crease, and then claimed the last wicket to fall on Monday when he bowled Beuran Hendricks for 10.
Lions captain Dominic Hendricks was responsible for the other wicket to fall, scoring a brilliant direct hit running in from midwicket to run out Aviwe Mgijima (13).
The Lions have earned the full house of four bowling bonus points to go with the 4.46 batting points they claimed on the first day.
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