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Linde, Potgieter steer MI Cape Town to a decent total

cricket11 January 2025 17:35| © MWP
By:CS Chiwanza
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Joburg Super Kings © Sportzpics

George Linde and Delano Potgieter produced a brilliant rearguard fightback as they led MI Cape Town to 140/6 in their Betway SA20 match against the Joburg Super Kings at the DP World Wanderers on Saturday. The hosts need 141 runs to win.

 

Linde top-scored for MI Cape Town with an unbeaten 48 off 35 balls. The allrounder struck seven of the 17 boundaries hit by the visitors. He stabilised the innings with two partnerships after a terrible start by the Western Cape side. Potgieter also struck seven boundaries, four fours and three sixes. He was also unbeaten on 44 off 22.

This is the second time the allrounders have come to the rescue of MI Cape Town in consecutive innings. Their 65-run seventh-wicket partnership provided MI Cape Town with a respectable total.

Linde played a cameo for MI Cape Town in their first match, remaining unbeaten on 23 in a late surge that helped his side to a winning total. In that encounter, he shared a productive and unbroken 42-run partnership with Delano Potgieter.

Faf du Plessis chose to bowl first because there was a damp in the air. That and the slow pitch offered by the Wanderers provided assistance to the Super Kings' army of medium pacers. David Wiese, Lutho Sipamla and Evan Jones got the ball to dart around so much that they beat the outside edge numerous times. The result was that they had the visitors plodding along at a desultory run rate.

Wiese and Sipamla conceded a mere seven runs in first three overs and the pressure they created reaped rewards when Jones accounted for Reeza Hendricks' wicket in the fourth over. Hendricks fell trying to force Jones' delivery over the ring fielders. The visitors needed to see off the new ball and the powerplay with as little damage as possible.

The last thing they wanted was for Van der Dussen to be dismissed off a run-out. His dismissal came in the fifth over. It was the first of two run-outs MI Cape Town suffered. The second one came exactly nine overs later when George Linde and Azmatullah Ormazai failed to communicate and ended up at the same end, while Matheesha Pathirana calmly knocked off the bails at the other.

Colin Ingram was the first MICape Town batter to reach double figures. The left-hander seemed to be shaping up to have a decent innings until he hoiked a Tabraiz Shamsi delivery to Wihan Lubbe at long-on. George Linde and Dewald Brevis (14) were the next two to go past 10 runs. The pair constructed a 43-run stand that gave the visitors momentum. However, Brevis was unable to replicate his performance from their opening fixture against Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

David Wiese showcased his T20 experience with an array of slower-ball deliveries. The seasoned campaigner was unplayable for most of the innings. He finished with a single wicket for 19 runs in four overs. Super Kings debutant Lutho Sipamla gave a good account of himself as he finished with one wicket for 31 runs. Evan Jones and Tabraiz Shamsi also bagged a wicket each.

JOBURG SUPER KINGS: Faf du Plessis (capt), Devon Conway (wk), Leus du Plooy, Jonny Bairstow, Wihan Lubbe, Donovan Ferreira, David Wiese, Evan Jones, Lutho Sipamla, Matheesha Pathirana, Tabraiz Shamsi

MI CAPE TOWN: Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Connor Esterhuizen (wk), Colin Ingram, Dewald Brevis, Azmatullah Ormazai, Delano Potgieter, George Linde, Rashid Khan (capt), Trent Boult

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