Shai Hope stole the show and put on a batting masterclass as he carried his bat and scored an unbeaten 118 off 69 balls. Shai Hope showed what he brings to the T20 format and stood tall as his unbeaten 118 powered Pretoria Capitals to above 200 runs with little support from the other end at Durban.
In reply, Durban Super Giants lost wickets at regular intervals and it was a one-man show as Jos Buttler batting at 3 held one end up and scored an unbeaten 97 off 52 balls but his innings went in vain at the end as he lost his partners from the other end as the bowlers of Pretoria Capitals held their nerve to win the game by 15 runs for an important win in this mid-table clash. Capitals have swapped places with Durban and now in 4th place while Durban are now in 5th place.
Shai Hope’s unbeaten ton powers Pretoria Capitals to 201/4.
Put into bat first, Connor Esterhuizen and keeper batter Shai Hope opened the batting for Pretoria Capitals while Kwena Maphaka had ball in hand for the Durban Super Giants. The duo got the Capitals off to a flying start as Shai Hope oozed class from one end while Connor looked good as well. He complimented Hope well but the West Indies captain showed his true colours in the T20 format.
The powerplay score was 58/0 in 6 overs for the Capitals. They carried that on into the middle phase of the innings and put on a century stand for the first wicket. The duo batted for 11 overs with Connor happy to play second fiddle before he perished for 37 off 28 balls with 4 fours and one six to his name to David Wiese. The duo had put on 101 for the first wicket in 11 overs.
Roston Chase joined his fellow West Indian Shai Hope in the middle and the duo started to build things nicely for the Capitals. The duo put on 85 runs at a fair clip in 7.2 overs as Hope dominated the partnership yet again before Chase was retired out for 24 off 15 balls with one four and two sixes to his name. Sherfane Rutherford came out to bat next.
Rutherford did not last long as he fell for a silver duck in the same over that Chase retired out to Maphaka. Dewald Brevis came out to bat with 8 balls left. But the story was all about Shai Hope as he completed his superlative ton and stayed there for the Capitals.
Brevis hit a couple of lusty blows into the stands before he departed for 12 off 5 balls with 2 sixes to his name to Gerald Coetzee after 13 runs were added to the tally. Jordan Cox came in with two balls left and remained unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball while Hope remained unbeaten on 118 off 69 balls with 9 fours and 9 sixes to his name. 9 extras given by the fielding side as the Capitals ended with 201/4 in 20 overs.
It was a hard day in the office for Durban Super Giants. Kwena Maphaka finished with 1/45 in 4 overs. David Wiese finished with 1/34 in 3 overs. Gerald Coetzee finished with 1/43 in 4 overs. Sunil Narine bowled a miserly wicketless spell as he finished with 0/22 in 4 overs. Aiden Markram’s solitary over went for 13 runs while Noor Ahmad went for 39 runs in 4 overs. It meant that the Durban Super Giants needed 202 runs to win the contest in 20 overs.
Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 97 went in vain as Durban Super Giants fall short by 15 runs.
Chasing 202 for the win, Kane Williamson and Marques Ackerman opened the batting for Durban Super Giants while Lungi Ngidi had ball in hand for Pretoria Capitals. The Super Giants as was required got off to a rollicking start with Ackerman playing the role of aggressor while Williamson played second fiddle from the other end. The opening duo put on 39 for the first wicket in which Ackerman made 27 of them. Ackerman was the first to depart for 27 off 17 balls with 4 fours and one six to his name to Roston Chase.
Jos Buttler walked out to bat at 3. Buttler was on the charge straightaway as he took the attack to the opposition. Buttler and Williamson added 8 for the second wicket before Williamson fell for 12 off 9 balls with a maximum to his name to Lizaad Williams. Captain Aiden Markram walked out to bat next with the Super Giants 2 down inside 5 overs.
The powerplay score for the Super Giants was 58/2 in 6 overs same as the Capitals. Buttler and Markram started to build a partnership to steady proceedings and put on 39 runs for the third wicket with Buttler doing most of the scoring while Markram was happy to play second fiddle. The score reached 86 before Markram fell for 16 off 11 balls with one four and one six to his name to Gideon Peters.
Heinrich Klaasen came out to bat next and was slow off the blocks and played a labored innings. Buttler though was on the charge and the former England captain kept his team in the hunt single-handedly even as Klaasen struggled in his stay at the crease. His knock made sure that they put up 52 runs for the 4th wicket before Klaasen fell for a struggling 16 off 17 balls to Peters. Evan Jones came out to bat next and he too fell first ball for a golden duck to Peters. He was on a hat-trick. David Wiese came out to bat and survived the hat-trick ball.
The wickets falling at the other end did not deter Buttler at all as he kept fighting for his team while others were falling by the way side. Wiese hung in there for a while and put on 22 for the 6th wicket before Wiese fell for 8 off 8 balls to Lungi Ngidi. Sunil Narine came out to bat and fell first ball for a golden duck to Ngidi again as the bowler had two in two balls and was on a hat-trick.
The hat-trick was achieved by Ngidi as Gerald Coetzee was his third victim in three balls as the Super Giants went from 160/5 to 160/8 in a matter of 3 balls. Kwena Maphaka came out to bat with the team in dire straits. Jos Buttler kept the fight going for the Super Giants as much as possible. He single-handedly added another 25 runs for the 9th wicket with Maphaka not scoring anything. Maphaka soon fell for a bronze duck as he was run out trying for the extra run to keep Buttler on strike. Noor Ahmad came to the crease next and he too was run out without facing a ball while attempting the extra run as well.
Just like that. The Super Giants were bowled out for 186 in 19.4 overs with Buttler remaining stranded high and dry on an unbeaten 97 off 52 balls with 9 fours and 5 sixes to his name as the team fell 15 short of the win. 10 extras given by the fielding side.
Gideon Peters was the pick of the bowlers for Pretoria Capitals with figures of 3/35 in 4 overs. Lungi Ngidi picked up a hat-trick and finished with 3/39 in 4 overs. Roston Chase finished with 1/34 in 3.4 overs. Lizaad Williams finished with 1/52 in 4 overs. Keshav Maharaj finished with 0/22 in 4 overs. There were 2 run outs in the innings at the end of the innings. So, Pretoria Capitals win by 15 runs and go to 4th in the points table while Durban Super Giants slip to 5th place. Shai Hope for his outstanding innings was awarded Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
Next-up in SA20 2026 is Match 17 featuring Joburg Super Kings up against Paarl Royals from Wanderers in Johannesburg at 9 PM IST on 8th January 2026. It is 2nd vs 3rd in the points table with Joburg losing their last game while Royals are on a roll. A mouth-watering game awaits us weather permitting in Johannesburg.
Let’s see how things pan out in this contest later tonight.
Also Read:Â SA20 2026 Mock Selections & Preview: Which Side Can Build The Most Lethal Squad Entering This Season?