Durban’s Super Giants grabbed their first victory of the Betway SA20 after securing a 5-wicket victory over MI Cape Town at Newlands on Friday.
The visitors, chasing a target of 153, seemed to be cruising at 118/2 after 12.2 overs before Olly Stone (4/28) took three wickets in seven balls to throw the cat among the pigeons.
But the Super Giants had enough big hitters in the back-end of the innings to bounce back from their opening round defeat.
After captain Quinton de Kock had won the toss and elected to bowl first, Kyle Mayers got the visitors off to the perfect start when he fired in an in-swinging yorker and sent Dewald Brevis’ stumps flying with the second ball of the game.
The pressure remained on MI Cape Town throughout the Powerplay as spinner Prenelan Subrayen (2/29) and England seamer Reece Topley (2/27) accounted for Ryan Rickelton (14), Rassie van der Dussen (1) and Sam Curran (0), respectively, to leave the home side in a pickle at 45/4 after 7 overs.
Some lusty blows in a 60-run fifth-wicket partnership between Grant Roelofsen (52 off 44) and George Linde (33 off 25) got the Newlands faithful going but when the duo departed in consecutive deliveries, the Super Giants wrestled back the momentum.
However, 47 runs off the final 29 deliveries saw MI Cape Town reach 152/8 at the innings change.
Quinton de Kock (11 off 8) and Mayers (34 off 23) got the visitors off to a flyer, going at a smidge under 10-runs to the over before the former became Stone’s first scalp, compliments of a brilliant catch by Delano Potgieter at short-third man.
Mayers continued to take the game to the bowlers but fell to George Linde (1/20) in the seventh over. Heinrich Klaasen (36 off 22) joined Wihan Mulder (30 off 26) and the pair put on a 34-ball 56-run partnership to get the visitors close.
It’s a quick turnaround for MI Cape Town as they face Joburg Super Kings at Newlands on Saturday. Durban Super Giants head back home to welcome Paarl Royals to Kingsmead on Sunday.
