Kuhn, the titan of the Titans, nears 1000-run mark

23 March 2016 - 09:49 By CHUMANI BAMBANI

Heino Kuhn is only 56 runs shorts of hitting the 1000 runs mark in the Sunfoil Series. Given his recent form in ensuring the Titans remain on top of the domestic four-day competition, blasting past that mark should be an easy task for the 31-year-old opening batsman, what with his side having two matches remaining in the competition.What would make the feat more special is that no domestic batsman has scored 1000 runs in six seasons.The last time it happened, three batsmen - the Knights' Rilee Rossouw (1189), fellow Titan Dean Elgar (1060) and somewhat predictably, the Highveld Lions' Stephen Cook (1013) - had shown good form with the bat in the 2009-2010 season.Since then, the only other batsman to have scored more than the 944 runs Kuhn has accumulated so far was his former teammate Jacques Rudolph, who finished with 954 in the 2010-2011 season.Kuhn's contribution is highly appreciated by the Titans, who are in the hunt for their first Sunfoil Series title since 2011-2012.Titans coach Rob Walter said: "Heino just gets better every year. Just when you think you've seen the best from him, he comes up with something else."Kuhn, who has scored three centuries and four half-centuries (with a high score of an unbeaten 151), is comfortably ahead of the next best run scorers in the competition - Cook (720) and the Cape Cobras' Dane Vilas (642).The Lions, who slid to third place on the log to make way for the Knights in second, boast the top wicket-taker in the competition - Hardus Viljoen, who has taken 40 wickets.The penultimate round of matches will be played next week, starting from March 31.The Titans will host the Lions in Centurion in what could prove the most crucial match of the season. The Knights will be at home in Kimberley facing the Warriors, while the Cobras and Dolphins take each other on at Newlands...

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