Johannesburg Super Kings muscled their way past Durban Super Giants in a high-scoring thriller at home to usurp Pretoria Capitals to the fourth and final playoffs spot in the SA20 on Saturday. Just hours after Capitals won their last league games e and pinned their hopes on table-toppers Super Giants doing them a favour, the Super Kings batted their way through to chase down a 200-plus total and storm into the knockouts thanks to the brilliant knock from captain Faf Du Plessis.
This win sealed with a six of Donovan Ferreira and a celebration after that gave everyone a memory of sister team Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni’s CELEBRATION WHEN Chennai Super King eliminated Punjab Super Kings to go into eliminator in 2010 only to win the trophy later that season. Skipper Faf Du Plessis who has been a part and the vital cog in the Chennai team over the years would believe that his sister team Johannesburg Super Kings emulates the same in the SA T20 league of 2024.
Pitch Report and Toss
The Wanderers Surface is considered to be one of the best batters-friendly surfaces across South Africa. Its surface bounce and pace help batters to neural cricket to runs whereas seam bowlers also get assistance in initial overs to take wickets in here. The venue is expected to be in favour of chasing teams
Joburg Super Kings, led by Faf du Plessis, were at the fifth rank, registering two wins and losing five games. Regrettably, two of their encounters ended without a result, picking up 13 points. They are coming into this game on the back of a nine-wicket defeat over Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Durban Super Giants, on the other hand, are occupying the top spot in the table with seven wins and two losses in nine games, carrying a total of 32 points. They are coming into this encounter on the back of four consecutive wins. They will be strong favorites to win this encounter.
Johannesburg Super Kings skipper Faf Du Plessis won the toss and chose to bowl in a must win match. Durban Super Giants bought in Dwaine Pretorius instead of five wicket hauler from first match Junior Dala.
Faltered start for Durban Super Giants but JJ Smuts and Wiaan Mulder carries team to competitive 203 for 6.
Super Kings started the evening on a fantastic note as they had the Super Giants down to 32 for 3 in the fifth over after opting to bowl in the do-or-die fixture. The trio of JJ Smuts (55 off 34), Wiaan Mulder (59 off 40) and Heinrich Kaasen (40 off 16) however, came together for the colossal rescue act that saw the team post 203 for 6 in 20 overs. Between them, they smashed nine sixes and hit 12 fours.
Smuts and Mulder added 115 runs off 70 balls to set the team up for a big finish, which Klassen took care of. As many as 67 runs came off the last five overs, with Nandre Burger conceding 23 in the 18th and Lizaad Williams going for 22 in the 19th. Doug Bracewell bowled an immaculate final over worth just seven runs and a wicket but the Super Giants still ended with a daunting 203/6. For Super Kings Lizaad Williams was the best of the bowler with 3 for 47.
A competitive total in a do or die match with rain around means Johannesburg Super Kings even if they have to win a rain curtailed match on DLS it required a hurricane effort from skipper Faf Duplessis and Leus De Ploy at the start to take the game and a spot in the eliminators.
Faf du Plessis and Leus De Ploy’s thundering start sets the pace for epic run chase.
Faf du Plessis and Leus du Plooy put the chasing side right on track by amassing 75 in the PowerPlay that involved a 20-run over from Mulder a 19-run over from Reece Topley. The Super Giants were sloppy on the field, as Keemo Paul offered Du Plooy a reprieve when he dropped a sitter at backward square leg.
Du Plooy was on 15 off 10 at that stage, and went on to add 42 more to his tally off the next 37 balls to finish with 57 off 47. Faf du Plessis, who recovered from a batting rut very recently, lead the way in a crucial game with a stroke-filled 29-ball 57. At the end of 9th over Johannesburg Super Kings were comfortably placed at 102 for 1 in conquest of a huge win to propel them into the eliminators.
Wayne Madsen and Donovan Ferreira carries Johannesburg Super kings to Eliminators with an emphatic finish chasing 203.
Even after they lost both the set batter by the 17th over and needed 45 off the last 18 balls, Super Kings didn’t relent. Wayne Madsen kicked off the 18th over from Dwaine Pretorius with a six, as the chasers picked 17 runs off it. 28 off 12 then became 13 off six as Moeen Ali carted Naveen Ul Haq for two sixes in the penultimate over. Super Giants still had room for a late heist as Pretorius conceded a four first ball but then dismissed Moeen Ali on the second. However, out came Donovan Ferreira to hit two sixes in three balls to wrap up the chase in style.
Before the ball sailed for six, Ferreira started to celebrate. He knew he had nailed it. Madsen hugs Ferreira. and the team in Yellow yet again makes into the final 4 of any league in a strange fashion with 10 matches 3 wins but 17 points courtesy two washed out games .
Captain’s opinion and Road ahead
Keshav Maharaj losing DSG Captain said :
“The connection off the field. We are quite a tight-knit unit despite the losses. A different energy and vibe this year. Lance is a positive guy. He brings out the best in people. He has been invaluable to us so far. I wish [on Klassen] I knew what he has for breakfast. I don’t think there are many ball-strikers who hit the bat as clean as him. We have two bites at the cherry, look at the cons from today and build on the positives for that game,”
Winning captain and Player of the Match Faf Du Plessis said :
“Very tired. Even in the last game we played, we felt everything was going against us. It’s funny that cricket can make you feel like that, watching that game today as we were coming in for this one, we thought we were dead and buried, our thoughts were going towards a bonus point,”
“To put in that performance against that unit, really proud of our team. Every game we had amazing turnouts for our games. Tonight showed that these guys are a very strong cricket team. 190 was par, a few errors on our part, giving big overs away. We knew we had to put in a hell of a batting performance,”
“And tonight me and Leus could do it. I haven’t felt at my best throughout that tournament and you are frustrated. In such matches you need to find that soldier in you. Glad that runs came out during this game. Importantly we are playing at home. If we could choose, we would choose to play the back stretch of games at home. If we could play like today, we will be very difficult to beat,”
What a chase by JSK. They have done it and now qualify for the playoffs. Brilliant effort that. The chase was set up by Faf and du Plooy and that platform was seized upon by Madsen, Moeen Ali and Ferreira at the end. Some strange tactics from Maharaj helped too, he bowled Pretorius and Keemo Paul and not Noor or himself when the game was in the balance and that’s where runs were leaked.
Even the final over when he had Topley, he went for Pretorius and the move did not work out. But take nothing away from JSK who knew they had to win and they did it in front of their adoring home crowd chasing a 200-plus total. All the pressure on them and they delivered. A fine game with a crowd enjoying to the fullest.
This win sealed with a six of Donovan Ferreira and a celebration after that gave everyone a memory of sister team Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni’s CELEBRATION WHEN Chennai Super King eliminated Punjab Super Kings to go into eliminator in 2010 only to win the trophy later that season. Skipper Faf Duplessis who has been a part and the vital cog in the Chennai team over the years would believe that his sister team Johannesburg Super Kings emulates the same in the SA T20 league of 2024.
Durban Super Giants, on the other hand, are occupying the top spot in the table with seven wins and two losses in nine games, carrying a total of 32 points. They are coming into this encounter on the back of four consecutive wins. They will be strong favorites to win the title too.