By Ongama Gcwabe
Gqeberha — Matthew Breetzke breaks Super Giants’ four-match losing streak with a six off the penultimate ball of the match at Kingsmead, Durban.
Kingsmead played hosts to bottom of the table clash between Durban’s Super Giants and MI Cape Town on Thursday night with both teams desperately searching for a win.
The Super Giants were looking to end their four-match losing streak, while the star-studded MI Cape Town were eyeing to get back to winning ways after occupying top of the table spot for most of the first leg of the competition.
At the toss, visiting skipper Rashid Khan called incorrectly and Quinton de Kock sent them in to set a score, knowing very well that three of the Capetonians losses were failed attempts to defend a score.
Mi Cape Town’s opening pair of Dewald Brevis and Grant Roelofsen got off to a decent start and put together a 23-run partnership before the latter picked up a length ball from Wiaan Mulder, finding Keemo Paul well positioned in the square leg boundary.
Brevis followed his opening partner in the very next over. Trying to access the extra cover boundary, the youngster heaved the ball over cover but Mulder, standing at cover, was up to the task as he ran backwards to take a good catch to dismiss the youngster off the bowling of Dwaine Pretorius.
Rassie van der Dussen (43) and Australian Tim David (33) steadied the ship with a 55-run partnership for the fourth wicket. It was Delano Potgieter’s 17-ball 32 (2x4, 3x6) and Odean Smith’s 10-ball 17 (1x4, 2x6) that propelled the visitors to a competitive 165-5.
In the run chase, Quinton de Kock was back to his fluent self with a measured 63 runs off 41 balls (7x4, 3x6). The 24-year-old Matthew Breetzke provided good support to his skipper before De Kock’s failed attempt at a reverse sweep saw him walking back to the dugout in the 12th over.
West Indian Keemo Paul joined Breetzke at the crease and raced to 31 runs off 18 balls before Kagiso Rabada struck twice in the same over, dismissing Paul and Heinrich Klaasen for a duck.
Breetzke held his nerve and finished the game off with a six, taking his score to 48-not-out and winning the game for the Super Giants by five wickets.
IOL Sport