ALL THE ACTION: Week Two Review

MI Cape Town, double wooden-spoonists, are top of the log with half their games played and well on course for the play-offs although both the Paarl Royals and Jo’burg Super Kings can catch or overtake them with a game in hand.

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape have stormed back into contention with back-to-back bonus point victories against the Durban Super Giants to rise into fourth place, just behind JSK on net run rate while the Pretoria Capitals and DSG have just a single win from their five games and in desperate need of some momentum.

Another thrilling week of competitive cricket with an array of outstanding individual performances…

Neil Manthorp looks back at week two of the SA20:

Top performance: Donovan Ferreira’s 26 from 19 balls and bowling figures of 4-0-15-2 was further evidence of the value of allrounders and went a long way towards JSK’s 28-run victory against DSG at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead. Marco Jansen (36* from 26 and 3-0-16-1) was similarly valuable for the Sunrisers in the first of their two wins against DSG.

Top bowler: After three years in the international wilderness, George Linde has stormed back with a series of reminders about his quality. Figures of 4-0-15-3 were instrumental in MI Cape Town’s victory by 33 runs against Paarl Royals.

39-year-old David Wiese’s 3-1-12-1 in Jo’burg Super Kings 28-run win over DSG was instrumental but the bowler of the week goes to Sunrisers Marco Gleeson and Richard Jansen who, between them, reduced Durban Super Giants to 18-4 in the first six overs. They say you can’t win a game in the Power Play, but you can lose it. That’s open for discussion.

Top batter:  Kwena Maphaka belted 22 off 19 balls with two sixes for Paarl Royals against MI Cape Town. Who’d have thought he could bat, too? Marco Jansen’s 51 (35balls) in a total of 113 for Sunrisers was a special effort, but also in a losing cause. Marques Ackerman’s 39* from 30 balls was highlighted by hitting Jansen for six to earn a bonus point win. And Gerald Coetzee’s 13* from three balls is exactly the sort of little-mentioned contribution which affects results.

Outstanding team:  Unquestionably the Sunrisers who dusted themselves off after three consecutive defeats in defence of their title to deliver consecutive bonus-point wins against the Durban Super Giants to bounce straight back into contention on 10 points, just behind the Super Kings on net run-rate.

Top Overseas player: Rinse and repeat from the first week – Joe Root was even better with his unbeaten 92 from 60 balls anchoring the tournament’s highest run-chase with the Paarl Royals chasing down the Pretoria Capitals imposing 212-5 to win by eight wickets with two balls to spare.

Honourable mention to DSG’s number 10, Naveen-ul-Haq, who played two reverse-ramps and a clubbed a straight six in his career-best 30* from 15 balls to lessen his team’s blushes from 61-7 to 115-8. In vain, obviously. And Kane Williamson’s valiant 44 in DSG’s dismal 115-8 v SEC.

Best match: Without a single nail-biter all week the Cape derby at Paarl was the most intriguing clash with MICT having won by 33-runs at Newlands two days earlier. In Paarl the visitors were, apparently, well positioned at 158-4 on the back of Rassie van der Dussen’s 91* from 64 balls but he was usurped by a man half his age, Lhun-dre Pretorius, whose 83 from 52 balls laid the platform for the Royals’ six-wicket victory with an over to spare.

Top Talking Point: Batting positions and analytics. Are teams over-thinking things? Is analysis leading to paralysis? Is the desire to have a right and left hander at the crease ruling out common sense? Heinrich Klaasen is one of the best, most destructive T20 batters in the world. Why would DSG keep him back until No 7 with the top order in complete disarray? Would he have been better used attempting to stop the collapse rather than tidy up the rubble?

Quote of the week: “I think I'm just landing it on a string and it's going both ways, so I am happy at the moment. It's not easy to bowl in the powerplay, you either take wickets or go for runs. My cosistentcy of hitting an area and making the guys play has improved. I don't think he (Stubbs) is ok with that (batting below Jansen). Sometimes you get a feeling of trying things out and it paid off today.” – Marco Jansen.

What to look out for: Durban Super Giants against MI Cape Town at Kingsmead on Tuesday. Top against bottom. A chance for MICT to take a giant stride towards the play-offs and, it may not be ‘make or break’ time for DSG but it will certainly feel like. If they lose there’s one last at home on Thursday against the Royals – their last three matches are all on the road.