Eagles soar back to the top

Eagles 183 for 6 beat Dolphins 182 for 5 (Ahmed Amla 71*) by 4 wickets
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Ahmed Amla on his way to 71* © Cricinfo/Neil Lane

he yo-yo effect at the top of the Standard Bank table continued as the Eagles soared back into the lead after a four-wicket win over the Dolphins at Durban.

Having won the toss and batted first the Dolphins made heavy weather of a difficult pitch, getting only 182 in their allotted 45 overs. At 88 for 5 in the 26th over things did not look too bright for them but Ahmed Amla, scoring 71 not out, and Duncan Brown, scoring an unbeaten 41, put together a 94-run unbroken sixth-wicket partnership, of which 40 runs came off the final five overs, allowing the Dolphins to reach a reasonable score. As it turned out, it proved to be 15 to 20 runs short in the end.

The Eagles also struggled at the top of their innings, losing five wickets in the first 20 overs with only 62 on the board. Ryan McLaren and Ryan Bailey, both scoring 40, then put on 86 runs for the sixth wicket as the Eagles clawed their way back into the match, allowing Johan van der Wath the freedom to hit 23 runs off 24 balls to take the Eagles to victory with five balls to spare.

The Dolphins gave away 27 extras, 14 of which were no-balls and wides, and will have to bowl with far more discipline if they are to be a contender for the trophy.