END OF OVER:20 | 6 Runs 2 Wkts | JSK: 122/8 (22 runs required, RR: 6.10)
- Dian Forrester44 (33b)
- Lizaad Williams4-0-25-3
- Gideon Peters3-0-25-1
That wraps up all the action for today. We hope you enjoyed the franchise cricket double-header with both the BBL and SA20 here on ESPNcricinfo, along with other matches too. Be sure to join us tomorrow as the excitement continues. Until then, this is Rashad Mahbub signing off on behalf of Thilak Ramamurthy. Goodnight and goodbye.
Player of the Match, Sherfane Rutherford: "[One of your best performances?] First of all, I want to give God praise for this opportunity and grace. It is definitely my best; I would put it up there. It was a pretty tough wicket where the ball was doing a lot, but what was important for me was the process: giving myself time and trying to face as many balls as possible. I think it went pretty well. [Rescue mission with Brevis] Tonight wasn't any different. The conversation was basically about having strong intent but trying to play safe shots. It was important for us to bat as deep as possible because we had lost so many wickets. Our plan was simple: run hard and rotate the strike. I know that once Brevis and I are there, we can do some damage. [How difficult it is to focus during a batting collapse] For me, it is very difficult. For Dewald, it is easy because every time I tell him we are trying to get to 150, he says, just don't look at the score, let us bat. That is his favorite phrase. I told myself okay, but in my mind, I was still aiming for 150. When we reached 144, I felt it gave our bowlers a decent chance to execute. [Turning things around every time] It is definitely not easy. One of the biggest things for me is these tough situations; I try to mark myself on moments where the team is under the pump so I can come out on top. It is something I enjoy. It may not happen every time, but when it does, it looks good and I feel great about helping my team. [7/5 and then score 70 like today or 140/0 and propel to 200 runs] I would definitely go for the second one! It is good to have that freedom to just go and express yourself. But if that platform isn't there, you just have to adapt to the situation and give yourself the best chance."
Keshav Maharaj: "[Ever been in a crazier game before?] Actually, I have in an amateur game where we were 30 for 6 in a three-day match and ended up winning, but never in a T20. It was quite a shock, but the class of the players showed through. The way Brevis took responsibility and Sherfane performed like a world-class player was all I could ask for as a captain. From a character point of view, it was incredible to come through that. [Conversation in the dressing room during the batting collapse] It was pretty quiet. The wicket was very tacky and doing a bit, but we always knew if we got one partnership and reached 130 or 140, there was enough in the pitch to defend. We got to 140, and here we are with the win. At 7/5, you are just trying to survive. But the guys kept assessing and the feedback was that we were going to absorb pressure and pull the trigger at the right time. Kudos to Brevis and Sherfane for identifying the right balls. It is not easy to play the way they did when you are five wickets down. Once we reached the 15-over mark, we felt 150 would be a very difficult score because the wicket wasn't getting better; it was getting slower and tackier, and our bowlers exploited that. [Defending 143 runs] The feedback from the batters was that 140 is a very competitive score. It is difficult to just come in and start scoring on a wicket like that. Our powerplay wasn't perfect, but that is how cricket goes. The period straight after the timeout really sealed the game. During that time, Roston was exceptional. Gideon and all my bowlers stood up when called upon. That is what we are about. [Bowling performance] Very much so. To be honest, the wicket offered so much assistance that I didn't have to invent anything. The catching has also been phenomenal throughout this campaign. We have put down some chances, but we have stood up in crucial moments. [Top of the table] It is a big morale booster. I still don't think we are playing our best cricket as a collective yet. We have to address the slow starts, but we can't look too much into a wicket as spicy as this one. We are putting ourselves in a position where we could finish in the top two. We just have to take this momentum into the qualifiers ahead."
Donovan Ferreira: "[Shoulder injury] I'm not really sure. I'll go for a scan in the morning and take it from there. [Early strikes in the first innings] Obviously, we tried to keep striking. Credit to Brevis and Sherfane for how they absorbed the pressure. It's tough playing on a wicket like that where you don't really know what you're going to get. They played well to reach a competitive score, but the surface wasn't easy. I think the total they reached was chaseable if we had gotten off to a good start. However, the wicket was turning and Keshav and Chase bowled really well. As I said, it's a difficult pitch to play on. If you keep losing wickets in a chase, it's hard; we needed one guy to push on and get a decent score to get us over the line. [Next Game] We just focus on tactical play. We know the venue in Paarl is a spinning wicket where a lot of balls get hit. It's about assessing the conditions, speaking to the coaches, and getting a game plan in place. This tournament is back to back, so there isn't much time to reflect. It's a different venue, so we just need to focus on those specific plans. [Losing two captains will be a blow] It is what it is, I guess."
9:35 pm The Joburg Super Kings' winless streak continues, leaving their playoff hopes hanging by a thread as they head into a must-win final league match. The home side appeared to be well in the contest until the seventh over of the second innings, when the introduction of spin completely shifted the momentum. Moonsamy, who was handed an early life when Russell dropped him in the second over, failed to capitalize; he struggled through a 9 ball stay before departing in the fourth over with just a single run to his name. Du Plooy looked in sublime touch at number three, greeting the attack with back to back boundaries. However, the game turned sharply after the powerplay. Maharaj produced a masterclass in spin bowling, first tempting Vince into a catch at slip and then trapping de Villiers LBW. As the runs dried up, wickets fell in clusters in the middle overs. From a position of promise for the majority part of the match and then collapsing to 68/6, the Wanderers fell into a stunned silence as the JSK middle order crumbled. Adding to the drama, stand-in skipper Donovan Ferreira, already hampered by a shoulder injury sustained in the field, retired hurt after facing just one ball at number eight. Forrester was the only batter to show genuine intent, fighting a lonely battle against mounting scoreboard pressure to finish unbeaten on 44. Maharaj and Williams were the pick of the bowlers with three wickets each, supported by strikes from Chase and Peters. Post-match presentations are coming up next.
Pretoria Capitals won by 21 runs
N Burger b Williams 1 (3m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50
Shadow-Shell: "*on my knees, head down* I would like to formally apologise to the Cricinfo win predictor"
Burger is the new batter in
D Jansen c Chase b Williams 15 (33m 16b 2x4 0x6) SR: 93.75
28 runs from the last 6 balls. No bonus points for the Capitals tonight if they win.
END OF OVER:19 | 12 Runs | JSK: 116/6 (28 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 6.10, RRR: 28.00)
- Dian Forrester43 (31b)
- Duan Jansen11 (14b)
- Gideon Peters3-0-25-1
- Lungi Ngidi4-0-30-0
Ismail Moola : "Back at my beloved Wanderers...What a disappointment for a sell out crowd at the Bullring..."
Spandan: "@Jigar I completely agree, hindsight is a beautiful thing. but to the player at that moment you need to prioritize saving the runs and hope you dont get injured and not the other way round."
40 runs needed off 12 balls. Forrester is looking in fine touch out there; can he pull off a miracle for the home team?
END OF OVER:18 | 13 Runs | JSK: 104/6 (40 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 5.77, RRR: 20.00)
- Dian Forrester31 (25b)
- Duan Jansen11 (14b)
- Lungi Ngidi4-0-30-0
- Keshav Maharaj4-0-15-3
A K: "Pretoria Capitals still have to win before deciding on who wins the man of the match because we know the game isn't over until the last ball."
Jigar: "@ Spandan an inform player getting injured trying to save these 4 runs means 1 batter less today and a new player in the knock out game plus may impact the balance of the team. "
Manoj: "@ Kasinathan, Maharaj did actually well. But at 7/5 if Brevis and Rutherford dint put up the score he would'nt have runs to defend here. Mostly Rutherford gets the nod. "
END OF OVER:17 | 7 Runs | JSK: 91/6 (53 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 5.35, RRR: 17.66)
- Dian Forrester21 (21b)
- Duan Jansen10 (12b)
- Keshav Maharaj4-0-15-3
- Lizaad Williams3-0-19-1
