Super Giants bowlers help secure SA20 win over MI Cape Town

Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) bowlers helped them clinch an impressive 36-run win over Mumbai Indians Cape Town (MI CT) in their SA20 clash at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday night.

Australian star Marcus Stoinis picked up 3/18 in four overs, while Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad claimed 3/22 to help limit MI CT to 121/9 in their chase, after DSG set them 158 to win.

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The MI CT innings got off to a rocky start as the in-form Ryan Rickelton (13) was smartly caught at slip by Heinrich Klaasen off the bowling of Naveen-ul-Haq with the score 17/1 in the third over.

Rassie van der Dussen (19) then popped a catch off the edge to Stoinis at extra cover off the last ball of the powerplay bowled by Keshav Maharaj, while Connor Esterhuizen (4) followed in the next over gloving Noor Ahmad to keeper Quinton de Kock leaving them in trouble on 39/3.

Innings rebuild

That brought Dewald Brevis (21) in to join Sam Curran, 36 off 28 balls (1×4, 4×6) and they looked to rebuild the innings as they took their side to 58/3 at the end of 10 overs.

The hosts were well behind the rate at this stage and Curran tried to up it as he cracked two sixes off the 11^th over from Jon Jon Smuts with it going for 15 and one six in the 13^th from Ahmad, but in the next over was caught on the leg side boundary off Stoinis leaving them on 87/4.

That wicket sparked a collapse that saw the hosts loose six wickets for 21 runs as they crashed to 108/9 and out of the match.

That included Ahmad removing Liam Livingstone (1) and Kieron Pollard for a first ball duck off successive deliveries, while Brevis was caught at deep midwicket off Stoinis and with all the big hitters out their challenge was over, as they stumbled to the end of their innings.

Big final four

In the DSG innings a big final four overs which saw 54 runs come off it, thanks largely to an unbeaten 38 off 20 balls (6×4) from Wiaan Mulder, with some help from Matthew Breetzke, 48 off 46 (3×4, 2×6) saw them get to 157/6 at the end of their 20 overs.

At the start Tony de Zorzi got them off to a decent start as he cracked three fours and a six in scoring 20 off 11 balls, but was then bowled around his legs by George Linde, with De Kock chopping on for a first ball duck the very next ball leaving them on 23/2 in the third over.

Jon Jon Smuts (26) joined Breetzke at the crease and they set about rebuilding the innings, with Smuts cracking two fours and a six off the final over of the powerplay bowled by Sam Curran to take DSG to 52/2.

The MI CT bowlers then put on the squeeze with a tight four overs into the halfway mark, with the pressure eventually telling when Smuts was caught by Dewald Brevis off the bowling of Thomas Kaber leaving them on 70/3 after 10 overs.

Kaber made a massive breakthrough again two overs later, trapping the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen (6) dead in front LBW as they slipped to 80/4.

Stoinis (11) was next to fall in bizarre circumstances as he was caught at square leg off the bowling of Olly Stone, only for replays to show he had smashed his own off stump out the ground in his follow through to be out hit wicket with DSG on 97/5 in the 15^th over, which brought Mulder in for the late fireworks.