Paceman Matthew Boast claimed an outstanding 5-35 in 16 overs, his fourth first-class five-wicket haul, to give the Dafabet Warriors control of the CSA 4-Day Series final against the DP World Lions at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Coming into this match, Boast was already the leading wicket-taker in domestic first-class cricket this season, but his five new victims took his total to 43, a remarkable effort.
After two absorbing days – the game is being played over five days – the Lions are 193-7 in their first innings, still 112 shy of the Warriors’ total of 305.
But the Lions still have the services of their talisman, allrounder Delano Potgieter, so often their saviour in tough situations.
Potgieter is unbeaten on 40 in 96 balls of stubborn resistance, and he and Codi Yusuf survived the last 40 minutes to give the home team hope of further reducing the deficit on Friday.
Bowling Figures⚔️
— The Dafabet Warriors (@WarriorsCrickEC) February 19, 2026
Matthew Boast- 5-35 (16)
Patrick Kruger- 1-40 (12.0)
Gideon Peters-0-12 (7.0)
We go again tomorrow at Day 3 of the CSA 4-Day Series⚔️💚#WozaNawe #4DaySeries pic.twitter.com/DpbGgbxTRV
It was an attritional day’s cricket, with the Warriors’ bowlers showing good discipline to restrict the Lions’ run-rate to 2.7 runs per over on a slower than usual Wanderers pitch.
There was some help for the seamers on a fullish length but virtually none for the spinners with Warriors’ skipper Senuran Muthusamy only bowling three overs in the first two sessions before bowling a seven-over spell at the fag end of the day simply to give his pace bowlers some relief.
In the morning the Warriors’ first innings was quickly wrapped up by the Lions in four overs after they resumed on their overnight total of 292 for eight.
UNBEATEN KING
Unbeaten centurion JP King had time to swipe Wiaan Mulder over the midwicket boundary to bring up a half-century partnership with Wesley Bedja before Bedja sliced Yusuf to cover and then King himself fell, caught behind by wicketkeeper Connor Esterhuizen chasing a wide one from Wiaan Mulder.
King’s innings was largely gritty, occasionally explosive and very valuable to his team with his 123 coming in 230 balls and including 12 fours and four sixes.
The Warriors’ innings was dominated by centurions King and Jordan Hermann with tailender Bedja the next highest scorer with 17.
Mulder, who turned 28 today, was comfortably the Lions’ best bowler with 3-48 off 21 overs with Potgieter also effective, having taken 3-34 in 12 overs.
The Lions were pegged back early on in their reply with the cheap dismissals of the experienced pairing of skipper Dominic Hendricks (4) and Zubayr Hamza (6).
Boast had Hendricks well caught at third slip by Matthew de Villiers after he pushed forward to a delivery that left him. It was De Villiers’s first action in the match after he replaced Warriors’ opener Modiri Lithako as an injury substitute.
Hamza began cautiously, taking 19 balls to get off the mark, before he pulled a long hop from medium-pacer Patrick Kruger for four.
He then attempted a similar shot to a delivery outside his off-stump but was only able to cloth the ball to Boast at mid-on.
Boast really stamped his influence on the match in the afternoon session, bowling with pace and swinging the ball both ways and with great accuracy.
His first strike in the afternoon accounted for opener Richard Seletswane, trapped leg before to a delivery that moved late.
Seletswane had played nicely before lunch, striking six fours in his 32.
Boast’s second victim was Wandile Makwetu who obligingly glanced him to Jordan Hermann at leg slip.
Mulder was then joined by Esterhuizen and the pair offered the Lions some relief, adding 50 for the fifth wicket before Boast trapped Esterhuizen leg before as the right-hander played across the line of a delivery that swung into him.
Mulder continued the rearguard action with Potgieter with the pair batting carefully to add 41 for the sixth wicket befoe Mulder, having reached his half-century on his 28th birthday, drove loosely at paceman Gideon Peters to edge a routine catch to the wicketkeeper. Mulder’s 57 came in 85 balls and included 10 fours.
Bjorn Fortuin kept Potgieter valuable company for 42 balls before he provided Boast with his fifth wicket, edging a drive outside his off-stump that was well taken by Patrick Kruger at second slip, diving to his left.
Boast may have been the headline act for the Warriors, but Bedja (0-40 in 16 overs) and Kruger (1-20 in 12 overs) performed the valuable function of maintaining pressure on the batters from the other end.
DP WORLD LIONS: Dominic Hendricks(c), Richard Seletswane, Zubayr Hamza, WandMakwetu, Wiaan Mulder, Connor Esterhuizen(wk), Delano Potgieter, Bjorn Fortuin, Codi Yusuf, Beyers Swanepoel, Siya Plaatjie
DAFABET WARRIORS: Jordan Hermann, Modiri Litheko, JP King, Matthew Breetzke, Sinethemba Qeshile(wk), Senuran Muthusamy(c), Patrick Kruger, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Mathew Boast, Wesley Bedja, Gideon Peters