Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was blown away by the unique atmosphere at St George’s Park when Durban’s Super Giants met the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Gqeberha.
DSG superstar Williamson has played in all the great cricket cathedrals of the world from Lord’s to the MCG, and Eden Park to Eden Gardens, Williamson has seen it all.
South Africa’s oldest Test venue once again lived up to its reputation with the brass band and Orange Army on its feet for almost the entire match dancing to the various tunes.
This seems like the Kane Williamson of 2018 when he won the orange cap in IPL pic.twitter.com/S25iqDOiDD
— Vibhor (@Vibhor4CSK) January 11, 2025
Even though Williamson’s Super Giants suffered a defeat on the day, the Kiwi will still leave Gqeberha with some special memories.
“Firstly, disappointing to be on the wrong side of the result, but the atmosphere was just incredible. I remember it fondly … goodness me … about 13 years ago I played a Test match here and to come back and see a full house here was quite special to be honest.
“It would have been nice to be on the right side, but I supposed they were singing a bit louder because their team had their noses in front. A special place to play.”
The Super Giants now head back up the East Coast for their last two home matches at Kingsmead, starting with a crucial clash against MI Cape Town on Tuesday before hosting the Paarl Royals on Thursday.
Last season’s runners-up have suffered a dip in form, though, with three consecutive defeats and will need to turn around their fortunes very quickly if they are to remain in contention for the playoffs.
Williamson feels they are not far off and require just a few minor tweaks to get the Super Giants back to winning ways.
“There is a lot of experience in that dressing room and all of us have been in this situation before,” Williamson said. “And the games come thick and fast. It is just about keeping coming back to the basics and not over-reacting. There are a lot of fantastic players in that dressing room and it’s about doing it collectively
“Naturally, every game there is the intention to win, but for us is to make those improvements and get nice and clear. Often after a few losses those things are highlighted, it is important for us to play with that freedom and trust the quality in the dressing room.
“The conditions have lent itself to rhythm play. It’s about finding a way to be competitive and focusing on what we want to do and how we want to do it.
“We go back to Durban now and it’s important that we make those small improvements.”
Photo: Deyrck Foster/Sportzpics
