SA20: JSK – owners of the coolest heads – triumph over Pretoria Capitals

The owners of the coolest heads at the death more often than not triumph in white-ball cricket and it proved to be the case again at the Wanderers on Tuesday night as the Joburg Super Kings edged out the Pretoria Capitals by six runs in another SA20 thriller.

With Pretoria needing 21 runs to win off the last two overs, Migael Pretorius (5) simply did not run as captain Wayne Parnell came rushing through for a single, leading to his run out. Adil Rashid did launch a stupendous six over long-on off his second ball to end Alzarri Joseph’s excellent penultimate over that cost 11 in the end.

Defending 10 runs, Guyanese all-rounder Romario Shepherd produced an outstanding final over. Bowling slower balls short of a length, he conceded just three runs off his first four balls and then had Rashid caught at long-off for eight, leaving Pretoria needing six off the last ball for a Super Over. Anrich Nortje could only swing and miss as Parnell was left stranded on 19 not out.

The Capitals will muse that it was a win they threw away through some rash cricket even earlier than the frantic final overs.

Eathan Bosch (15) nicked a very wide delivery from Gerald Coetzee after adding 30 with Parnell, while at the top of the order, Rilee Rossouw suffered the same fate to his first ball, bowled by Joseph.

Jimmy Neesham (24) had just hit Aaron Phangiso for three successive sixes when he heaved across the line aiming for a fourth and was bowled, with Shane Dadswell (22) and opener Phil Salt (29) also falling victim swiping at the crafty left-arm spinner.

Theunis de Bruyn (18) was trapped lbw by Phangiso as he finished with outstanding figures of 4/32, 18 of those runs coming off three deliveries.

New-ball bowlers Joseph (4-0-34-2) and Coetzee (4-0-31-1) were impressive, while Shepherd finished with 2/28, bringing out all his party tricks.

Magnetised crowd

The Joburg Super Kings’ total of 168/6 was thanks to a fiery 75 not out off 40 balls from Leus du Plooy, who magnetised a packed Wanderers crowd with some superb ball-striking and clever shot-selection.

Having been sent in to bat, this time the Super Kings top-order stuck around with determination. Openers Reeza Hendricks and captain Faf du Plessis (27) added 45 in the first seven overs, and Du Plooy then joined Hendricks in adding another 73 off 53 balls for the second wicket.

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It might not have been the sort of rapid scoring Wanderers crowds are used to, but the key was the Super Kings kept wickets in hand and they were able to get to a defendable total as Du Plooy hammered seven fours and five sixes.

Fast bowlers Bosch, with a brilliant 3/12 in three overs, and Nortje (4-0-26-2) led the Pretoria Capitals bowling.

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