It was a day for the power hitters with Donovan Ferreira and Tristan Stubbs guiding the Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape to victory in Saturday’s SA20 matches.
Ferreira blasted the competition’s fastest-ever half-century off only 18 balls (six fours, three sixes) before finishing on 56* to help JSK chase down Pretoria Capitals’ 167-9 at a heaving Wanderers.
The experienced Moeen Ali provided solid support with 25* that formed part of an unbroken 77-run partnership off just 34 balls that helped ease the home team over the finish line by a six-wicket victory margin.
The successful chase was earlier set up by another 70-run partnership between Leus du Plooy (33) and Sibonelo Makhanya (40).
The Capitals were on the back foot throughout the encounter at the Bullring with only debutant Kyle Verreynne, who replaced Theunis de Bruyn at No 3, holding the visitors’ innings together with an undefeated 72* off 52 balls.
The Super Kings seamers were in supreme form with Nandre Burger (2-30), Lizaad Williams (3-26) and Romario Shepherd (3-39) claiming eight Capitals wickets between them.
HIGHLIGHTS: Joburg Super Kings vs Pretoria Capitals (SA20)
In the earlier afternoon clash, the Sunrisers required a blistering 66* off 37 balls from dangerman Stubbs to get across the line over Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead.
The defending champions restricted DSG to 159-7, courtesy of Simon Harmer’s career-best T20 figures of 4-18.
It was a complete change of fortunes for Harmer, who formed part of the first SA20 trade during the off-season with him moving to Sunrisers and JJ Smuts heading to Kingsmead, after conceding 0-53 in the first round fixture between these two teams at St George’s Park.
Harmer’s victims were Matthew Breetzke (33) before ripping through the much-vaunted DSG middle-order by sending Smuts (nine), Heinrich Klaasen (31) and Marcus Stoinis (one) all back to the dugout.
The Sunrisers’ chase was on a slippery slope when they were reduced to 41-3, which included midweek centurion Jordan Hermann (25) scalp, before captain Aiden Markram (38) and Stubbs stabilised the innings with a 56-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Stoinis, though, struck a double blow for DSG when the Australian all-rounder removed Markram and Patrick Kruger with successive deliveries to set up a grandstand finish.
But Stubbs had unfinished business. He failed in his bid to take Sunrisers over the line in the first-round clash, but he was not going to let it slip through his grasp again.
He found an able partner in Marco Jansen (24*, 14 balls) as the pair shared an unbroken 66-run stand to push the Sunrisers up to the third on the table while condemning DSG to a second consecutive defeat.
HIGHLIGHTS: Durban’s Super Giants vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SA20)
Photo: Arjun Singh/Sportzpics
