Playoffs to determine who gets to the highly anticipated Betway SA20 Final
Friday, 03 February: The Joburg Super Kings clinched the last remaining Betway SA20 playoff position in miraculous fashion at the Wanderers on Saturday evening.
The Super Kings were handed a lifeline earlier in the day when Pretoria Capitals silenced Newlands when they beat MI Cape Town by four wickets with just two balls remaining.
It consigned MI Cape Town to missing out on the Betway SA20 playoffs for the second season running.
The Capitals moved into the fourth playoff position on 14 points, but had to wait until the conclusion of the JSK and Durban’s Super Giants match at the Wanderers later.
And the Bullring was certainly treated to an absolute thriller with DSG posting 203/6, courtesy of half-centuries by Jon Jon Smuts (55), Wiaan Mulder (59) and a 16-ball 40 from Heinrich Klaasen.
To add to the drama unfolding at the Wanderers, the match was halted during the dinner interval due to lightning nearby.
But when JSK came out to resume their innings, it was only Faf du Plessis and Leus du Plooy doing the striking as they blasted 102 in just nine overs before Dun Plessis departed for 57 off 29 deliveries (7×4, 3×6).
But Du Plooy continued the rush chase with 57 off 47 balls before being clean bowled by Noor Ahmed.
This left the experienced pair of Wayne Madsen (44 not out off 29 balls) and Moeen Ali (26 off 12 balls) to grasp JSK to the brink of victory.
But the final heroics was left to Donovan Ferreira.
JSK required 13 off Dwayne Pretorius’ final over, and although Ali was dismissed after hitting the first ball for four, Ferreira banged a six off the next delivery, ran two, and then blasted another six to send the Wanderers into delirium.
MI Cape Town had no such luck after posting 163/9 with Rassie van der Dussen top scoring with 60.
The Capitals managed to procure over the line with two balls to spare, but ultimately it was not enough to procure last season’s runner-up into the Season 2 playoffs.
The Super Kings will now face Paarl Royals in the Eliminator on Wednesday, February 7 at the Wanderers.
Durban’s Super Giants will face Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Qualifier 1 at Newlands on Tuesday, February 6.
The winner of the Eliminator and the loser of Qualifier 1 will play in Qualifier 2 at the Wanderers on Thursday, February 8.
Source: cricket.co.za
Clive Rice (born 1949) – 24 internationals, 26.27 average, 97 high score, 47 wickets, 24.67 average, 4-19 best: Rice’s stats are also underwhelming. I would consider him a six-to-eight-point better batsman, and more likely averaging 2.5 wickets a Test. He was incredibly unlucky not to play official Test cricket. He certainly belonged.
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