Johannesburg – 13 October 2025:
Application and control as Esterhuizen cashes in again.
Connor Esterhuizen cashed in again with the bat as the runs flowed at Kingsmead and our DP World Lions were held to a draw by the Dolphins in their 4-Day Series match at the weekend.
There may have been precious little grass spread over the surface of the Kingsmead pitch, and not much turn to speak of either, but Esterhuizen still had to apply himself tremendously well as he plundered 203 runs in the DP World Lions’ first innings.
The 24-year-old also came to the crease at a tricky time with #ThePrideOfJozi on 184 for four replying to the Dolphins’ first innings of 389.
Esterhuizen put on 44 for the fifth wicket with Richard Seletswane, who again showed great promise in scoring 49 but fell just three overs before stumps.
Nightwatchman Lutho Sipamla hung around well on the third morning but fell in the first over with the second new ball, leaving the DP World Lions on 249 for six.
But Esterhuizen, who scored 175 in the innings win over Western Province last week, took control of the pressure situation, forming an immense, record-breaking seventh-wicket partnership with all-rounder Delano Potgieter.
Always pleasing on the eye, Esterhuizen showed again the ability to make really big scores, improving on his career-best first-class performance for the second game in succession, while also punishing anything lose as he collected 27 fours and two sixes in the 332 deliveries he faced.
Potgieter also posted a career-best as he was relentless in reaching 169 not out before our Pride declared on 619 for seven, their highest ever score against the Dolphins and their third biggest against all opposition.
The partnership of 330 between Esterhuizen and Potgieter is the record for the seventh-wicket in all first-class cricket in South Africa, improving on the previous mark of 301 which Potgieter also held, together with Bjorn Fortuin, for the DP World Lions against the Warriors in Potchefstroom in 2018/19.
Left-hander Potgieter clobbered his runs off 238 balls with 13 fours and six sixes, continuing to burnish a phenomenal record for #ThePrideOfJozi in four-day cricket as he has now scored 1388 runs in 38 innings at an average of 49.57, including three centuries.
The Dolphins had earlier won a good toss and elected to bat first. Beyers Swanepoel was once again bang on the money in his first over, trapping Romeshan Pillay lbw for a duck.
Slade van Staden (19) then paid the price for driving loosely at Potgieter and was well-caught low in the gully by Josh Richards.
Our DP World Lions were then held up by opener Tshepang Dithole and Bryce Parsons (42) adding 102 for the third wicket, before Parsons was brilliantly caught by a diving Dominic Hendricks at slip off Lutho Sipamla’s bowling.
Dithole fell for a composed 104, providing Sipho Potsane with a maiden first-class wicket. The 19-year-old left-arm spinner looked a top-class prospect as he finished the innings with three for 72 in 20 brilliantly controlled overs.
Potsane was an important cog in an excellent bowling display by the DP World Lions as they took the last six wickets for 132 runs. All-rounders Swanepoel and Potgieter chipped in well too with a couple of wickets apiece as the visitors divorced thoughts of how flat the pitch was from their thinking.
Our DP World Lions still needed a strong response with the bat and opener Richards was the person to set the tone with a wonderfully free-flowing 72 off just 93 balls.
Fellow opener Hendricks scored 55 to ensure the most solid of platforms for the Lions, before Esterhuizen and Potgieter put the Dolphins to the sword on the third day.
But with the north-easterly wind blowing in Durban, our bowlers had their work cut out in the second innings. They had to wait until the 40th over for their first wicket as former Lions player Dithole scored 85 and Pillay 94 in an opening stand of 174.
Slade van Staden (77*) was then partnered by Khaya Zondo (50*) as they took the Dolphins to 317 for three, a lead of 87, when the teams decided to call it a day.
Codi Yusuf was the pick of the bowlers with two for 39 in 12 overs.
Next up for #ThePrideOfJozi is the big Gauteng derby against the Titans, to be played at SuperSport Park from Tuesday.