At Boland Park on January 26, 2024, there was a clash between table-toppers the Royals and the Super Giants, and at the end, the Super Giants came on top due to the clinical performance by the Super Giants with the bat and ball.

In the current SA20, Quinton de Kock finally found his form, smashing an undefeated 83 to help the Durban Super Giants overtake the Paarl Royals and take first place in the standings.

Pitch Report and Toss Update

Boland Park’s pitch is expected to be slow, which gives spin bowlers an edge. Team batting first are probably going to take advantage of the favorable early conditions. The pitch was expected to get harder as the game progressed, making things more difficult for the batters.

So looking at the conditions, Keshav Maharaj, the skipper of Durban’s Super Giants, won the toss and elected to put runs on the board.

The Super Giants got off to a shaky start

The start of Durban’s Super Giants innings was sluggish as Bjorn Fortuin cleaned up the opener Breetzke in the third over of the innings. By the time the Giants looked to settle the innings, Obed McCoy struck again in the very next over to get the wicket of Tony de Zorzi. The Super Giants lost both openers within the first four overs.

After a couple of early wickets, JJ Smuts and Quinton de Kock steadily started to form a partnership and got the Super Giants to 69/2 at the halfway mark of the innings.

Quinton de Kock and Smut’s partnership and Klassen’s fireworks in the end put DSG into a commanding position

By launching a slower ball from Lungi Ngidi into the stands, Quinton de Kock managed to break the leashes. But the momentum got shifted as de Kock clubbed Tabraiz Shamsi for another six, three balls later, and after conceding the six, Buttler missed a stumping chance of Quinton de Kock in the same over.

Then Quinton de Kock blasted Andile Phehlukwayo for 4,6,4,6, bringing up his fifty in the very next over. With this century stand, Super Giants shifted the tide of the game, and Smuts, at the other end, reached his half-century as well.

While Quinton de Kock concluded the penultimate over of the innings with a pair of fours and a six, Heinrich Klaasen wowed the spectators in the final over by hitting a hat-trick of sixes to propel his team to 190 runs.

The Royals did get off to a flier but couple of wickets kept the Giants in the game

In an attempt to chase a massive total, the Royals did start out strongly, scoring 32 runs in the first three overs. However, after Smuts dismissed Jason Roy in his first over, things took a turn for the worst. Marcus Stoinis also contributed, concluding the powerplay with a wicket of Lubbe.

Despite the return of captain David Miller to the Royals lineup, the Super Giants bowling squad was able to keep a firm hold on the game. The wicket maiden by Noor Ahmad was the turning point because it increased the strain, and after that, wickets began to fall. The Royals were on 68/3 at the halfway mark.

Jos Buttler was the only lone warrior for the Royals

Jos Buttler battled alone, as the other batters failed to score runs, but Keshav Maharaj claimed Buttler’s crucial wicket, as he was bowled out for 45 runs. Up until the eighth over, the match was fairly balanced. However, Noor Ahmad’s outstanding wicket-maiden to David Miller in the ninth over completely flipped the tables, and the Royals’ fortunes declined after that.

With most of the powerful hitters back in the hut, the team was left toothless to chase a large total after losing wickets quickly. Although the bottom order made some effort, they were only able to muster a few runs, which proved insufficient for the side.

As the game went on, the tough track would inevitably help the slower bowlers, which is why the spinners were useful. With three wickets, Marcus Stoinis was the most effective bowler. Reece Topley and Keshav Maharaj both bowled well and claimed a couple of wickets.

On Sunday at Kingsmead, the two teams will square off again as DSG looks to increase their cushion at the top of the table while the Royals try to comeback.

Also Read: SA20 2024: AB De Villiers Supports Dewald Brevis Amidst Rough Patch