Durban Super Giants limp to modest total against Sunrisers Eastern Cape

Magnificent bowling and fielding from the Sunrisers Eastern Cape saw the Durban Super Giants collapse to a meagre total of just 115-8 after choosing to bat first in their SA20 match at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Sunday afternoon.

Marco Jansen (4-0-23-2) and English paceman Richard Gleeson (4-0-19-2) claimed two wickets apiece in the Power Play to reduce the visitors to a dismal 18-4 after six overs and they never came close to a recovery.

Former New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, never the fastest scorer, was forced to adopt ‘test mode’, crawling to four from his first 15 balls and 29 from 35 before finally cutting loose with two extra-cover driven boundaries off Jansen to reach 44 from 45 balls with only three fours.

But when he heaved Ottneil Baartman (2-30) into the deep he was, amazingly, the only batter in the innings to reach double figures apart from number 10 Naveen-ul-Haq who included two ‘reverse ramps’ against Baartman and a straight six in his career best 30 not out from only 15 balls.

Wickets tumbled throughout the innings with English left-arm spinner Liam Dawson claiming 2-11 from his four overs and also grabbing an exceptional, one-handed catch at extra cover to dismiss Jon Jon Smuts (2).

The carnage began immediately with opener Brandon King (0) edging the second ball from Jansen to Simon Harmer at slip and fellow opener Matthew Breetzke (2) bottom-edging a hoik against the same bowler onto his stumps.

Quinton de Kock (4) top-edged a pull against Gleeson to ‘keeper Tristan Stubbs and Smuts was followed by Wiaan Mulder (7) to drove Dawson to long on.

Heinrich Klaasen (8) bizarrely batted at No 7 and quickly departed in similar fashion.

The defending champions won the corresponding fixture between the teams at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead by 58-runs on Friday for their first victory after starting their campaign with three consecutive defeats but remain at the bottom of the log with five points from four matches.

The Super Giants are in fifth place, also with just one win from four matches but have six points courtesy of a washout.

SUNRISERS EASTERN CAPE: David Bedingham, Zak Crawley, Tom Abell, Aiden Markram (capt), Jordan Hermann, Tristan Stubbs (wkt), Marco Jansen, Liam Dawson, Simon Harmer, Ottneil Baartman, Richard Gleeson.

DURBAN’S SUPER GIANTS: Matthew Breetzke, Brandon King, Kane Williamson, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Heinrich Klaasen, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj (capt), JJ Smuts, Junior Dala, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq.