After the Super Giants reached 209/4 after to impressive efforts and Wiaan Mulder (45 not out off 19 balls) and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (60 not out), the Capitals took the lead with six wickets remaining in the dugout. But then Noor Ahmad (2/34) and Naveen-ul-Haq (1/35) of Afghanistan put pressure on the target, bringing it down to the 14 required from the final six deliveries.
The Capitals’ opening duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Will Jacks had already been soundly dismissed by Noor, while captain Keshav Maharaj had also dismissed the dangerous Liam Livingstone in the final over. In the final over, Naveen-ul-Haq had to defend 14 runs after Capitals teenager Steve Stolk scored.
Kyle Verreynne was left to hit a boundary after Stolk managed to spin, bringing the last delivery’s required amount of points down to four. But Naveen-ul-Haq was adamant on keeping Stolk to a leg-bye, so the Super Giants supporters let out a cacophonous roar.
The Capitals’ run-chase seemed on track after Gurbaz and Will Jacks had an incredible opening partnership of 154 runs. Gurbaz, the superstar from Afghanistan, made his debut, but Jacks’ amazing stroke play has already thrilled SA20 fans for the previous two seasons.
The little right-hander littered the terraces of Kingsmead, playing with absolutely no fear.
He showed his same destructiveness against pace and spin by attacking England seamer Chris Woakes before hitting the sweep shot to devastating effect against DSG captain Keshav Maharaj. Consequently, Gurbaz needed just 22 balls to reach his first SA20 half-century (2×4,5×6).
Jacks, however, needs six more balls to achieve his fifty after hitting five sixes. Eventually, his countryman Noor’s bowling caught Gurbaz on the edge of the boundary, causing him to fall on his sword for 89 off 43 balls (3×4; 7×6). Jacks then took 64 off 35 balls (3×4, 5×6).
The Super Giants also introduced an exciting new opening tandem in Matthew Breetzke and Bryce Parsons early in the season.
The performance of Rising Ss particularly caught the attention of coach Lance Klusener, who retained the Season 2 Rookie.tar Parson
As part of a 67-run opening partnership with Breetzke in just 6.3 overs, Parsons returned the favor by lighting Kingsmead with a boundary-rich 47 off 28 balls (5×4; 2×6) in his SA20 debut. Breetzke just scored 33 off 20 balls (5×4; 1×6), continuing his success from the previous season. The Proteas opener smashed a number of magnificent boundaries over the leg-side, but his one where he lifted his back leg like SA20 commentator Kevin Pietersen stands out.
But the roaring DSG train was halted when Senuran Muthusamy joined the attack after the Powerplay. With a looping delivery, the left-arm spinner lured Breetzke to drive straight to Rilee Rossouw. Muthusamy (3/21) demonstrated his ability and strategic awareness of bowling on a Kingsmead surface that evening by taking the first of three wickets.
The route to the finish line is cleared by Kane Williamson.
The Capitals were applying pressure on the Super Giants after Muthusamy removed Parsons and Quinton de Kock, and Liam Livingstone also took the vital wicket of Season 2 MVP Heinrich Klaasen for a duck.
They would have been compensated even more when Jimmy Neesham persuaded his old BlackCaps skipper Williamson to drive high into the covers, but Gurbaz declined the chance on the boundary. They forced the Capitals to pay, and DSG and Williamson needed the respite. Mulder joined them, and they regained their lost momentum by hitting the white ball cleanly.
Mulder, an all-rounder for the Proteas, smashed two consecutive maximums over the cover boundary, and initially everything was going smoothly. This allowed Williamson to get into his rhythm, but once he did, the Kiwi legend’s flair proved to be the decisive element in an immensely entertaining Kingsmead evening.
India
