Unseasonal rain could not prevent MI Cape Town from clinching a dramatic four-wicket (via Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method) victory over Joburg Super Kings at Newlands on Tuesday evening.
MI Cape Town edged past JSK’s revised target of 128 with four balls remaining to claim their much-needed first victory of the competition.
The Newlands faithful have been waiting patiently for Nicholas Pooran to explode and the West Indies dynamo delivered a power-hitting show of the highest calibre. Pooran smashed five sixes in a thrill-a-ball 33 that rewarded the crowd that had waited patiently despite the consistent drizzle.
Each six was bigger than the previous with Pooran’s massive heave on to the top tier of the Members Stand off Richard Gleeson will live in the memory of those who witnessed it for a long while.
Pooran ultimately fell on his sword, being caught on the deep cover boundary, which left Rassie van der Dussen (35 off 24 balls, 3×6) having to hold it together before Jason Smith injected the momentum MI Cape Town required with a boundary-laden 22 off just six balls to the home side to the brink before Karim Janat closed out the victory with four balls remaining.
Intermittent weather had earlier seen the match delayed by an hour before Super Kings could begin their innings after being inserted by MI Cape Town.
JSK captain Faf du Plessis and his new opening partner James Vince stormed out of the starting blocks with a 32-run partnership off just 2.4 overs before Vince (15, 9 balls, 2×4, 1×6) was caught in the covers off George Linde.
Du Plessis has showed already that he was in a destructive mood, striking MI Cape Town spearhead Kagiso Rabada for four successive boundaries in the second over, and continued to lead JSK’s charge after Vince’s dismissal.
The four Player of the Match candidates were Corbin Bosch, Faf du Plessis, Rashid Khan and Nicholas Pooran with ‘Nicky P’ winning 59.7% of the fan vote.
After striking Linde over long-on, Du Plessis set his sights on New Zealander Trent Boult in the final over before the conclusion of the Powerplay.
Du Plessis cracked four boundaries and six to power JSK to 69/2 before the heavens opened again to force the players off the field.
The second delay lasted 75 minutes which saw the contest reduced to 12 overs per side.
JSK’s momentum was severely disrupted with Du Plessis (44, 21 balls, 7×4, 2×6) falling almost immediately after the resumption.
The home side clawed their way back into contention through Corbin Bosch (3/24) and Rashid Khan (2/32) with only Matthew de Villiers (21, 15 balls 3×4) managing to get JSK up to 123/7, but was not enough on the night.
POST-MATCH AWARDS
- Player of the Match: Nicholas Pooran (MI Cape Town)
- It’s raining sixes match award: Nicholas Pooran (MI Cape Town – 5 sixes)
- Switch Game Changer of the Match: Nandre Burger (Joburg Super Kings)
- Absa Moneyball Saver: Corbin Bosch (MI Cape Town – 9 dot balls)
- DP World Dispatch of the Day: Nicholas Pooran (MI Cape Town)
Romance Princess
The most common physical injuries among cricketers is a hamstring strain. This occurs among players in this sport due to sudden bursts of movement required in the game. Cricketers often stand still for long periods before they run or bowl. A hamstring strain also occurs due to overuse of muscles and joints.
Plum Moon
Sport Trivia: Who was the first person from South Africa to win the Olympic 100m sprint? Answer: Reggie Walker. South African Reggie Walker won the Olympic 100m track event in London in 1908. He set a new Olympic record of 10.8 seconds in his semi final, and equalled it in the final. He was just 19yrs and 128 days old when he won the gold medal. Paul Nash equalled the then world record of 10.0 seconds four times in 1968.