Warriors collapse after Hermann and King make hundreds

Jordan Hermann sent another loud message to the national selectors that Proteas colours need to come his way sooner rather than later, with a superb 110 on the opening day of the Four-Day series final against the DP World Lions at the Wanderers.

Despite the best efforts of Hermann and teammate JP King — who was unbeaten on 113 at stumps — it was the Lions who ended the first day on top, reducing the Warriors to 292/8.

It represented a magnificent turnaround by the home team after Hermann and King had dominated the first half of the day, with a partnership of 111 and made Lions captain Dominic Hendricks’ decision to bowl after winning the toss, look like a mistake.

Hermann, who toured with the South Africa A side to India this season and batted very well in the two four-day matches against a strong India A team, making half-centuries in each match of that series, has yet to join his brother Rubin, who has been capped at national level in the two limited overs formats.

Before Wednesday, he’d scored 467 runs with two hundreds in this season’s competition, but an average of 35.92— well below his overall first class average of 46.33 — suggests a season in which he’s not lived up to the high standards he set at the start of his career.

He played fluently on what for two sessions looked like a flat Wanderers pitch, driving and cutting with authority against a workmanlike Lions bowling unit. He reached his century — the seventh of his career — with a delightful punch down the ground off Beyers Swanepoel.

He didn’t last too much longer, however, and was trapped lbw by the same bowler, having struck 14 boundaries and one six. That wicket began the collapse, which saw the Lions assert themselves.

The change in the momentum actually started midway through the middle session when Siya Plaatjie, picked to replace the injured Lutho Sipamla, bowled an aggressive spell which halted the Warriors’ scoring rate.

Plaatjie is the quickest of the Lions bowlers but wasn’t brought on to bowl until the 37th over, by which stage even left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin had bowled — and achieved the only success for the hosts by bowling opener Modiri Litheko in the 20th over.

Plaatjie had a chance dropped off his bowling by Wandile Makwetu at point when King had 39, but the example he set was followed by the rest of the attack.

Wiaan Mulder and Delano Potgieter were superb, especially after tea, bowling a fuller length and straighter lines. Mulder claimed two wickets; he trapped his Proteas teammate Senuran Muthusamy lbw for one and then grabbed a magnificent caught and bowled chance diving to his left and snatching the ball millimetres off the ground to end Mathew Boast’s brief stay at the crease.

From 179/1, the Warriors lost their next seven wickets for the addition of 66 runs, with only King showing any resistance. He maintained his composure amidst that collapse completing a second First Class century that included 11 fours and three sixes.

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