After winning two of the first three games of SA20 2023, Durban's Super Giants (DSG) have lost three in a row. It has been difficult for the team to establish their dominance over other franchises.
Currently, the Quinton de Kock-led Super Giants are reeling at the bottom of the points table with eight points in six games. The Durban franchise has lost their previous two encounters by huge margins, and surprisingly, the skipper has scored only 13 runs in those matches.
DSG side will lock horns with the Joburg Super Kings on January 24 at the Wanderers, the last SA20 game for the side before the season break. Faf du Plessis’ Super Kings have won only three of their six league games so far this season.
South African stars to provide the momentum
The Super Giants have the luxury of having South African stars in their squad. Skipper Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj and Dwaine Pretorius are out-and-out match winners for their national side.
Apart from Klaasen, no other Protea star has consistently performed for DSG. Skipper de Kock is slogging through a poor vein of form, with two ducks in his last three games.
Maharaj has failed to scalp wickets in the middle overs, despite bowling economical overs. Pretorius has taken six wickets but he has not lived up to the hype with the bat. The South African core of the Super Giants has to step up in their next fixture.
Do the Super Giants need to reset?
DSG also have several Caribbean stars in their squad. With the likes of Kyle Mayers, Keemo Paul, Jason Holder and Johnson Charles, the Super Giants are stacked with multi-dimensional players. But are they delivering accordingly?
Mayers has scored 135 runs in six games and is yet to score a fifty in the SA20 inaugural season. After giving some promising starts, he has failed to convert them into big scores. Mayers needs to play the anchor at the top, providing assistance to the unsettled middle order.
All-rounders Wiaan Mulder, Holder and Pretorius have bowled 37 overs collectively and have managed to scalp only nine wickets in total thus far. They will be expected to support the well-performing duo of Reece Topley and Prenelan Subrayen, who are the top wicket-takers for DSG so far.
What to expect in the next game?
The last time Joburg Super Kings faced Durban’s Super Giants was in the second match of the season at the Kingsmead. The Super Giants lost the game by 16 runs, where skipper de Kock scored a 52-ball 78 along with Mayers (39).
“We need points desperately. Hopefully, we go (to Wanderers) and rock up,” said skipper de Kock after the loss in the previous game against Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
The Super Kings have recently picked up form, winning two of the last three games. So, the Super Giants would like to recharge for the clash and grab a win before the mid-season break.
Probable playing XI
Kyle Mayers, Wiaan Mulder, Quinton de Kock (C/WK), Matthew Breetzke, Heinrich Klaasen, Dwaine Pretorius, Jason Holder, Keemo Paul, Keshav Maharaj, Prenelan Subrayen, Reece Topley.
