SA20: Overseas stars help Durban Super Giants crush MI Cape Town

The Durban Super Giants' international bowlers produced a superb display to help their team get back to winning ways with a 36-run victory over MI Cape Town at Newlands on Tuesday night.

The Super Giants had lost their previous two matches against the lowly Pretoria Capitals and the Sunrisers Eastern Cape after a three-match unbeaten run at the start of the campaign. But they bounced back beautifully in Cape Town, putting in a dominating display all-round display.

After winning the toss and electing to bat in the shadow of Table Mountain after another brutality hot day in South Africa's Mother City, the Super Giants posted 157/6 on a what looked like a difficult wicket for stroke-making.

Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder (38 from 20 balls) rescued the Super Giants' innings after they had come unstuck in the middle overs against MI Cape Town's spinners. 

Mi Cape Town's left-arm tweakers George Linde (2/15) and Thomas Kaber (2/20) managed to tie the Super Giants down, but their seamers let them down, with Mulder using the pace to get quick runs at the death.

The Super Giants' bowlers definitely took notes when MI Cape Town bowled. They gave the home side's batsmen no pace to work with, as they dug the ball into the pitch with a variety of slower balls and cutters.

Sam, Curran (38 off 27) was MI Cape Town's best batter and hit a few big shots in a vital partnership with Dewald Brevis (21 off 19). However, Super Giants' international trio of Marcus Stonis (3/18), Noor Ahmed (3/22) and Naveen-ul-Haq (2/23) were just too good on the night and restricted the home side to 121/9.

Stoinis and Naveen have come in as replacements for Richard Gleeson and Nicholas Pooran, and, after struggling in the first match, they produced matching displays.

“They are quality players. We are lucky that we could replace Gleeson and Pooran with quality players. That worked out well for us,” said Super Giants coach Lance Klusener.

“They were just a bit rusty in the first game. I thought the way they bounced back this evening was excellent and that’s good for us."

George Linde with the double strike for MI Cape Town

After a breezy start by Proteas batter Tony de Zorzi (20 off 11 balls) on debut for the Super Giants, MI Cape Town left-arm spinner Linde landed two big blows in the third over.

Linde bowled De Zorzi, who was attempting a reverse sweep, around his legs, which then saw wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock make his way to the crease. However, the Proteas superstar lasted only one ball as he played a delivery from Linde straight onto his stumps. 
 

Mystery spinner Kabar continues to impress

Matthew Breetzke and Jon Jon Smuts came together and started to rebuild the innings, but found it tough to go at a good rate, as the MI Cape Town spinners put the squeeze on.

The shared a partnership of 46 runs before before Kaber got the wicket of Smuts (26 off 23 balls), who was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Brevis.

Kaber then got the big wicket of Heinrich Klaasen (6 off 7 balls), who was strapped LBW by the left-arm mystery spinner, who, at the age of 31, looks like he is finally coming of age on the big stage.
 

Wiaan Mulder becoming a master operator in the death overs

Breetzke (48 off 46) wasn’t his fluent self, as he also struggled to hit through the line on a slow wicket, which took a lot of turn. But, in the end, his knock was vital to give Mulder a chance to get them close to the 160-mark, which looked like a very good score.

Mulder feasted on some ordinary bowling by the MI Cape seamers, with 60 runs coming in the last five overs of the Super Giants’ innings.

Kagiso Rabada (0/33), Sam Curran (1/50) and Olly Stone (1/37) really struggled at the death.
 

Super Giants get the big wicket of Rickelton upfront

The Super Giants continued their momentum into MI Cape Town’s innings when they got the wicket of the in-form Rickelton (13 off 9 balls). The visitors also got Rassie van der Dussen (19 off 18) in the power play.

Normally these two openers have given their side the platform to perform, but their failures in the last two matches have seen their batting effort flop again.
 

Sam Curran shows his class to give MI Cape Town a chance

Curran played really well in partnership with Brevis, and it looked like they got themselves back in the match when a few shots started to fly out of the park from the English all-rounder’s blade.

The duo put on a quick-fire 48-run partnership, but, in the end, both were outsmarted by the opposition bowlers.