A disciplined bowling effort from Durban’s Super Giants saw them defend 145 and beat the Joburg Super Kings by 37 runs in their Betway SA20 clash at Kingsmead on Monday night.
The victory continued DSG’s fine form so far in the competition and handed them a third consecutive win of the competition and consolidate their spot at the top of the table. The win also gives them their first bonus point victory of the competition after restricting JSK to less than 116.
After Keshav Maharaj won the toss and chose to bat, it was poor start from the hosts who lost Quinton de Kock for just two with DSG 15 for one in the third over.
At the end of the fourth JSK had their second, Matthew Breetzke was brilliantly caught by Romario Shepard off the bowling of Nandre Burger for thirteen.
It didn't get better for DSG who found themselves 34 for the loss of four wickets as they lost Jon-Jon Smuts for six and Wiaan Mulder for 12 in fairly quick succession.
Heinrich Klaasen and Keemo Paul then rebuilt the DSG innings with a stand of 39 before the latter was brilliantly caught by a relay catch on the fence from Leus de Ploy and David Wiese.
Paul played a crucial role in supporting Klaasen and his 17 from 21 balls helped DSG push towards that 100 run mark.
Nicholas Pooran and Klaasen then combined for a 38 run partnership off 30 balls, however the former nicked one behind in his final match for DSG for a run-a-ball 15.
Klaasen continued his rich vein of form and went to a second half century in this season's SA20. His half century came off 32 balls with five fours and two sixes.
Unfortunately for the hosts they lost Dwaine Pretorius in the penultimate over for six when the score was 135 for seven.
Klaasen hit the third to last ball for four before holing out to long off for 64 off 41 balls with seven fours and two sixes.
Keshav Maharaj and Reece Topley ran a bye off the final ball of the innings to finish the innings on 145 for eight.
After a patient start with the bat JSK got to 33 before Maharaj produced a peach of a delivery to bowl Faf du Plessis for seven from 17 balls.
Maharaj picked up his second when Ronan Herrmann was also bowled, chopping on an attempted reverse sweep, for six in the eighth over of the chase. At the loss of Herrmann JSK were 41 for two.
The pressure created by Maharaj’s spell of 2/17 in four overs led to the wicket of Reeza Hendricks in the thirteenth over when he was well caught on the sweeper fence by Keemo Paul for 38 off 32 balls off the bowling of Richard Gleeson.
Smuts returned to the attack to pick up his first wicket when he had the dangerous Donovan Ferriera caught at long off by Pooran for four as the required rate crept over the twelve run to the over mark.
Gleeson’s devastating spell continued when he bowled Romario Shepard around his legs in the fifteenth over with the score on 71.
The DSG spinners finished with combined figures of eight overs, three for 35 as Smuts’ last over went for just four to put DSG well in the drivers seat at the conclusion of sixteen overs.
The final nail in the coffin came when Moeen Ali was caught in the final over by Pooran off the bowling of Topley for 36.
Topley was not done and bowled Lizaard Williams first ball for a duck and then picked up his third of the over off the final ball when David Wiese was sharply caught at short third man by Gleeson for nine.
JSK finished their innings on 108 for nine, falling 37 runs short of the target.
Scorecard
Durban’s Super Giants: 145/8 (H Klaasen 64 L Williams 4/26)
Joburg Super Kings: 108/9 (R Hendricks 38 M Ali 36 R Topley 3/19)
Durban’s Super Giants win by 37 runs
Gameplan Media