Durban's Super Giants (DSG) lost their SA20 opener to Joburg Super Kings (JSK) by 16 runs on Wednesday at Kingsmead, Durban. After the Super Kings batted first, Quinton de Kock's Super Giants dominated the powerplay overs with slow bowlers Keshav Maharaj and Prenelan Subrayen doing most of the damage and restricting the Super Kings to 27 for four after the first six overs.
On a surface aiding spin bowlers, Super Kings’ Donovan Ferreira (82 off 40) stitched crucial partnerships with skipper Faf du Plessis (39 off 33) and Caribbean all-rounder Romario Shepherd (40 off 19) to help his team post 190/6.
Chasing a tough target of 191, the Super Giants proved they weren't out of the battle as de Kock and Kyle Mayers smoked some towering sixes to add 98 runs for the first wicket in 11 overs. However, the Super Kings came back into the game after dismissing the openers. The middle order couldn't make much of their opportunity with the bat as Durban Super Giants lost their first league game. Here are a few takeaways from the contest.
DSG take early wickets in the powerplay
The Super Kings, who elected to bat first, were pushed onto the backfoot by de Kock's expert use of spin bowlers in the powerplay. Keshav Maharaj and Prenelan Subrayen shared three wickets among them to help limit the Super Kings to 27/4 in six overs. Buoyed by their display in the first match, de Kock will be hoping that more of the same will follow from his spinners in the upcoming games.
Ferreira-Shepherd partnership made the difference
Donovan Ferreira offered an early glimpse of why he is so highly rated on the T20 circuit by stitching crucial partnerships when needed. He and Romario Shepherd added 87 runs together off 35 balls to post a challenging total on the board. Ferreira finished with an unbeaten 82 that included eight fours and five sixes while Shepherd’s 40 saw him hit two fours and four maximums to put the Super Giants on the back foot.
Super Giants start the chase on high
De Kock and Mayers lit up the chase with exquisite hitting from the word go. They took the attack to Alzarri Joseph and George Garton, racing to 65 for none in the powerplay. Even the spinners could not stop the run-fest as DSG sailed past the 100-run mark in the 12th over.
De Kock's wicket turned the tide
De Kock toyed with the Super Kings' bowling attack from ball one. He smashed Joseph for two consecutive sixes and made his intentions clear from the beginning. The Super Giants were in the driver's seat until de Kock's dismissal. Ferreira got the wicket of de Kock after the wicket-keeper had scored a 52-ball 78 and had gotten his team to 126 for 2 after 14 overs.
