Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) have registered two wins out of seven games in the ongoing SA20 2023. Amid these losses, the side has brought up two exciting wins against Paarl Royals and MI Cape Town, given the star power and relentlessness of the team to win, under Quinton de Kock’s leadership.
From recording the joint-highest total in the SA20 until now to Heinrich Klaasen sealing a victory with a quick fifty, here are the positives for the team, until they reinvigorate themselves and regroup to tackle the remaining tournament:
Joint-highest score of SA20
The evening of January 15 was an eventful one for Durban’s Super Giants as they not only won the game by 27 runs but also recorded the joint-highest total in the SA20 2023 with 216 runs in the first innings. The first four batters – Kyle Mayers, Wiaan Mulder, skipper Quinton de Kock, and Heinrich Klaasen – contributed with a flurry of sixes and fours to take the team to this great total. De Kock and Klaasen notched up robust half-centuries, while Mayers and Mulder brought up 39 and 42 respectively.
Klaasen’s last over heroics over Paarl Royals
While the Super Giants recorded the joint-highest score and a convincing win over Paarl Royals, Klaasen was the star of the match with his unbeaten 50 off just 19 balls.
After Mulder got out in the 14th over, Klaasen took the death overs one ball at a time, and then went all out, especially after skipper de Kock walked back to the pavilion in the 15th over after a jubilant half-century. He started off slowly with a six each in the 16th, 17th and 19th overs to fire with four sixes in the last over. Thanks to his exploits with the bat, DSG set a challenging total for the Royals with 216/4 on the board.
Keemo Paul’s carnage against MI Cape Town
MI Cape Town set a target of 152/8 as DSG’s bowlers chipped in somewhat evenly to restrict them to the score. However, when chasing 153, DSG encountered a few hiccups on the way as Mayers, Mulder and Klaasen made 30-plus runs, but were unable to establish their talents to finish the innings. Keemo Paul took the onus on himself that night. The 24-year-old smashed 20 runs in eight balls to finish the innings with 154/5. After Dwayne Pretorius walked back to the pavilion in the 15th over, Paul joined the other new batter Jason Holder and smacked a six in the 16th and two in the 17th over to wrap the game up for the Giants with ease.
Reece Topley removes Jos Buttler early
Dangerous batter Jos Buttler opened the innings for Paarl Royals with fellow England batter Jason Roy with hopes to score a half-century, as part of his routine work at the crease, but Reece Topley had other plans for the England skipper. In his first over, Topley hit the top of the bails to send Buttler back to the dugout after he managed two runs in seven balls. Topley’s early efforts helped DSG ride on the momentum of Buttler’s dismissal, after which Wihan Lubbe, Roy, David Miller and the rest of the side crumbled later on in the innings. Topley fared well with an overall 3/34 against the Royals
