Klusener upbeat about Super Giants’ chances in SA20

Another blockbuster is on the cards when the second game of the inaugural SA20 is played on the east coast on Wednesday when Durban’s Super Giants host the Joburg Super Kings.

South Africa’s new Twenty 20 competition got off to a flying start at Newlands on Tuesday when MI Cape Town beat Paarl Royals in style; young Dewald Brevis grabbing the headlines with his blistering knock of 70 not out.

At Kingsmead on Wednesday, in game two, it will be the turn of Quinton de Kock’s Super Giants taking on Faf du Plessis’s Super Kings.

ALSO READ: All the SA20 fixtures

Home team coach Lance Klusener is expecting a typical Kingsmead pitch for the match.

“Kingsmead is always hard to read, but we’re expecting a traditional wicket on Wednesday,” said the former Proteas all-rounder.

“It might be a bit slow, and should take some spin, but it will be nothing different to what we’ve got here in the past few seasons.”

Proteas players

The big question is will the national team’s two spinners in the Super Giants team, Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer, feature so soon after returning from the Proteas’ trip to Australia? Also, Heinrich Klaasen, a key batter, only recently got back from the national team’s tour.

For the Joburg side, Kyle Verreynne was in Australia and should feature, along with Du Plessis, Donavon Ferreira, Janneman Malan, Reeza Hendricks and Proteas tourists Gerald Coetzee and Lizaad Williams.

Klusener said he was happy with his team’s preparations for their first game, adding the Super Giants were confident of being in the mix come the playoff stages in early February.

‘Fantastic team’

“It’s been good. We had two days of rain, but it was not a bad thing, as it allowed us to catch up on volume indoors. Before that we had three good days outside.

“It’s been a long build-up since the competition was launched, so the boys are excited to get going. Hopefully we put on a good show here at home.

“We’re gonna win (the compeition),” joked Klusener. “We’ve got a fantastic team, with some World Cup winners, so we expect to be there (at the end).

“It’s a rocky road to make the playoffs, but there is no reason why we can’t be there on 11 February.”