Johannesburg [South Africa], January 14 (ANI): The audience at SA20 season two enjoyed a ‘Super Saturday’ with the batters taking centre stage in two highly entertaining matches.
The first double-header of season two provided run-fests at both the Wanderers and St. George’s Park, with an aggregate of 803 runs scored across the four innings.
MI Cape Town set the tone for the day, with opening pair Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton shattering the all-time competition record for any partnership with a 200-run opening stand against the Joburg Super Kings in just 15.3 overs, outdoing the previous 157-run stand by JSK’s Faf du Plessis and Reeza Hendricks at the same venue last season.
In the process, Van der Dussen brought up the first century of the season off 46 balls (nine fours, six sixes) to join ‘The Centurion Club’ that consists of Du Plessis, Durban’s Super Giants Heinrich Klaasen and Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s Aiden Markram.
Van der Dussen was dismissed shortly afterwards for a superb 104 (50 balls), but it was Rickelton who experienced the greater disappointment as he fell agonisingly short on 98 in just 49 balls, with six fours and eight sixes.
MI Cape Town closed their innings on 243/5, just 11 runs short of DSG’s all-time high of 254/4 against the Pretoria Capitals last season.
Nandre Burger, who had recently made his all-format debut against India, was the pick of the bowlers for JSK with 2/53.
It proved far too many for the home side as JSK folded for 145, with only Leus du Plooy (48 in 24 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and Romario Shepherd (34 in 19 balls, with three fours and two sixes) making any impression on the scoreboard as MI Cape Town claimed their first win of season two by a mammoth 98 runs.
George Linde (2/25) and Olly Stone (2/18) were the best bowlers for MICT, while Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, and Sam Curran took a wicket each.
The attention then switched to Gqeberha, where the Sunrisers Eastern Cape hosted Durban’s Super Giants.
The visitors flew out of the blocks through Quinton de Kock (23 off 16 balls, three fours and a six) and Matthew Breetzke (43 off 29 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes), forming a 58-run stand for the opening wicket.
But that was just the beginning of the onslaught before Jon Jon Smuts, who was traded from Sunrisers Eastern Cape to DSG in the off-season, and Nicholas Pooran took centre stage.
Smuts bunted 75 off 38 balls (four boundaries and seven sixes) before Pooran showed his class with a breathtaking 60-n-out off 31 balls (five boundaries and four sixes) that powered DSG to 225/3.
Daniel Worrall was the pick of the bowlers for SEC.
The Sunrisers delivered a spirited run chase that kept St. George’s Park and the Orange Army entertained until the final over, but ultimately it proved just too much.
Tom Abell (65 off 36 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Tristan Stubbs (55 off 26 balls, three fours and four sixes) both struck half-centuries that pushed the Sunrisers to 190/9, with DSG closing out their second consecutive victory by 35 runs.
Dwaine Pretorious (2/19), Richard Gleeson (2/32) and Smuts (2/36) were among the pick of the bowlers for DSG.
Sunday’s action switches to Centurion for the Pretoria Capitals’ first home game of the season against the Paarl Royals. (ANI)
