Durban's Super Giants went down to the Joburg Super Kings in the last over of their SA20 League clash at the Wanderers on Saturday night.
After the Pretoria Capitals beat MI Cape Town in a similarly tight affair earlier on Saturday, the Super Kings just had to win their match against against the table-topping Super Giants to sneak into fourth place.
The Super Kings duly obliged with one of their best performances of the campaign, which was incidentally only their third win this season, to leapfrog the MI Cape Town and the Capitals into the playoff spot.
They will now face the third-placed Paarl Royals in the “Eliminator” match.
The home side go over the line in the final over to see the Super Giants consolidate their position in the top two.
Batting fist, the inform Matthew Breetzke was the first wicket to fall for nine to Lizaard Williams.
Tony de Zorzi and the returning Dwaine Pretorius got the Super Giants to 28 before the former fell for 15 in the fourth over.
The Super Kings struck soon after as Pretorius was caught off the bowling of Nandre Burger for seven.
Jon-Jon Smuts and Wiaan Mulder then combined for an innings defining partnership for the fourth wicket.
The pair put on 115 for that fourth wicket from 11 overs.
Smuts racked up another half ton for the Super Giants and pushed past 50. He was eventually dismissed for 55 of just 34 deliveries.
Smuts hit four sixes and the same amount of fours in his knock.
The Super Giants then lost Mulder on the same score. The number four batter fell for 59 off 40 balls with five fours and two sixes.
From 147 for five, the Super Giants propelled themselves to 203 for six at the end of the innings.
Klaasen finished on 40 off just 16 balls and was the final wicket to fall off the final ball of the innings.
In reply the Super Kings started will with the bat.
They raced their way to 102 for the first wicket. Noor Ahmad trapped Faf du Plessis in front for 57 to claim the first wicket.
At 159 the Super Kings lost their second wicket when Ahmad picked up his second when Leus du Plooy was bowled.
Moeen Ali and Wayne Madsen took the Super Kings to 195 before Ali was dismissed for 26.
Madsen and Donovan Ferreira took the Super Kings past the Super Giants total in the final over.
IOL Sport