Last Update: February 06, 2023, 00:14 IST
Captain Faf du Plessis takes his team Joburg Super Kings to the semi-finals of SA20 2023
The former Proteas skipper scored 92 off 61 balls which set the stage for the Super Kings’ total of 160/6 in 20 overs.
South African white-ball specialist Faf du Plessis took center stage at the Wanderers here to guide Joburg Super Kings into the SA20 semi-finals, hitting a brilliant 92 as his side beat Sunrisers Easter Cape by 24 runs on Sunday. .
Du Plessis followed up his maiden hundred of the tournament in his last outing with a series of fine T20 innings. The former Proteas skipper scored 92 off 61 balls, which laid the groundwork for the Super Kings’ total of 160/6 in 20 overs.
Reeza Hendricks (40 off 36 balls) also played her supporting role to perfection again with the opening partnership scoring 119 runs in 14.2 overs. Sunrisers came back on the backend, picking up five wickets and restricting the Super Kings to 41 runs.
However, the total for the whole day proved to be sufficient as the Joburg Super Kings bowling unit performed well overall.
In reply, Mahesh Thekshana set the pace by dismissing Adam Rossington early, before Gerald Coetzee’s pace accounted for Jordan Harman and JJ Smuts.
Sunrisers needed to rebuild their innings and it was done by new recruit Temba Bavuma. The Proteas’ limited-overs skipper timed the ball well to reach his 50 off just 34 balls, but found no meaningful support apart from Aiden Markram’s 34.
This was due to a brilliant spell of left-arm spin bowling by Super Kings debutant Kyle Simmons, who tore through the Sunrisers’ middle order with figures of 3-23 from his four overs. In the end, Sunrisers Cape Town eventually finished on 136/9 in 20 overs, losing the match by 24 runs.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape have now completed their league fixtures on 19 points. They will await the result of Durban’s Super Giants’ final match against league leaders Pretoria Capital in Centurion to determine their semi-final fate.
Abbreviated Score:
Joburg Super Kings beat Sunrisers Eastern Cape 136/9 in 20 overs (F du Plessis 92, Reeza Hendricks 40; Aiden Markram 2-7, Sisanda Magala 2-24) Kyle Symonds 3-23, Gerald Coetzee 2-13, Mahesh Thikshana 2-31, Romario Shepherd 2-24)) by 24 runs.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)