Fireworks galore as DSG edge MICT in SA20 cracker

A cracking run fest was the order of the day as Durban’s Super Giants clinched a thrilling 15-run win over defending champs MI Cape Town in the opening match of SA20 season four at Newlands in Cape Town on Friday night.

It was exactly what a full capacity crowd in Cape Town wanted, with boundaries raining from both teams, but unfortunately their side came up short, as a massive 449 runs was scored over the two innings.

DSG batted first and amassed a monster 232/5, with openers Devon Conway, 64 off 33 balls (7×4; 2×6), and Kane Williamson, 40 off 25 (7×4), top scoring, but their whole batting order chipped in to get them to the total, as captain Aiden Markram, 35 off 17 (5×4; 1×6), and Evan Jones, 33no off 14 (4×4; 2×6), made significant contributions.

Rickelton masterclass

The MICT chase was then led by an incredible innings from opener Ryan Rickelton, as he smoked 11 sixes and five fours in his 113 off 63, but with only Jason Smith’s flurry of three sixes and four fours in his 41 off 14 as backup, it wasn’t enough in the end as they fell short on 217/7.

Although it was a batting dominated game, MICT’s Trent Boult impressed for the hosts with 1/32 in his four overs, with an impressive economy of just eight an over, when most were going for over 10, while DSG’s Eathan Bosch was a touch expensive but claimed figures of 4/46 to help his team pick up the win.

At the start of play the DSG innings was perfectly setup by Conway and Williamson, as they crashed 96 runs off 51 balls for the first wicket to give their side the perfect platform.

But over the next four overs a flurry of wickets fell, as MICT slightly fought back, with Williamson first stunningly caught by Rashid Khan taking a brilliant catch over his shoulders off the bowling of Tristan Luus.

Jos Buttler, 22 off 12 (2×4; 1×6), struck a few lusty blows before skying the ball to Trent Boult off Corbin Bosch, followed soon after by Conway, caught by Jason Smith, as they slipped to 137/3.

Heinrich Klaasen, 22 off 14 (2×4; 1×6) and Markram shared in a quick 32-run stand, and the captain added another 34 with Jones, which got them passed 200, before Jones and David Wiese (9no) chipped in an extra 29 off the final 10 balls of their innings to get them to a daunting target.

MICT chase

The MICT chase was then completely dominated by Rickelton, while DSG will be very relieved after they almost botched it.

Rickelton shared 60-runs for the second wicket with Reeza Hendricks, 28 off 21 (3×6), but it was the incredible 76-runs off just 27 balls that he shared with Smith that got them into the chase and gave them a chance, when Smith was caught by Markram off Bosch with the score 158/3 after 14 overs at that stage.

Young Kwena Maphaka then thought he had won the game for DSG in the 16^th over, after Rickelton, on 84, skied him to Williamson, but the batter was given a reprieve by the TV umpire after the bowler marginally overstepped.

That allowed Rickelton to keep the chase alive as he cracked a further 29 runs, but with regular wickets falling over the last three overs, including the big hitting Nicholas Pooran (15 off 10), and the opener finally falling at the start of the final over, meant they couldn’t pull off an incredible chase.

DSG and MICT will now complete a double header to start their tournament with a match in Durban on Sunday (3:30pm) start.