The right-hander made a free-scoring 101 (144 balls, 12 fours, 2 sixes), his eighth career ton, as the visitors closed on 376/7 after winning the toss and batting.

There were also handy half-century contributions from all-rounders Dwaine Pretorius and Wiaan Mulder – the latter, still only 18, continuing to impress in what is his first season playing first-class cricket.

The South Africa Under-19 captain, who already has 15 wickets under his belt, shone with the bat in the Northern Cape and was unbeaten at the close on 52 (46 balls, 10 fours).

Pretorius, meanwhile, has returned to the team after his stint with the Standard Bank Proteas and slotted in comfortably with an excellent 87 (106 balls, 14 fours, 1 six) as the Johannesburg-based team dominated.

What made the performance more impressive was the fact that the day was shortened and started around an hour late due to a wet outfield.

Their innings was littered with 50 partnerships, with five in total, as they ended well against a Knights team high on confidence after winning their opening two matches.

Duanne Olivier (2/75), Shadley van Schalkwyk (2/56) and Mbulelo Budaza (2/31) all took two wickets each.