Following the conclusion of the ODI series between South Africa and England, the SA20 was able to restart. There were just seven games to finish up the inaugural SA20 league stage with semi-final places very much up for grabs. There were departures for international duty, such as Will Jacks and Kyle Mayers, and in turn some replacements such as Tim David and Matthew Wade. Notably, South Africa's limited overs skipper Temba Bavuma was drafted in by the Sunrisers Eastern Cape as a replacement for Tom Abell.
Match by match mini reviews
Match 23 - MI Cape Town vs Durban's Super Giants
MI Cape Town got off to a slow start with Grant Roelofsen and Dewald Brevis both out early. Rassie van der Dussen helped his side along before he was dismissed by the debuting David Willey for 43 off 32 balls to end a fourth wicket partnership between him and David.
The big-hitting Australian was then out in the following over for 33 off 26. MICT looked like they may struggle to get to a competitive total but Delano Potgieter struck three sixes off the last over to finish on 32 off 17 as Cape Town got up to 165-5.
Despite nursing a hand injury, DSG captain Quinton de Kock set about dominating the early scoring as debutant Ben McDermott perished for just five. De Kock continued on his merry way, though, as he reached a fifty off 30 balls with the score at 64-1. David's off-spin to the left-handed de Kock saw a breakthrough as the South Africa star was out for 63 off 41 balls.
With 58 still needed, Matthew Breetzke was given out on the last ball of the 14th over, only to successfully review the decision. The next over saw Keemo Paul take 21 from George Linde's left-arm spin to dramatically reduce the equation down to 37 needed from 30 balls. Paul's 31 off 18 helped Durban to within 20 runs of victory with 21 balls remaining. Kagiso Rabada, though, had other ideas as he claimed two wickets in the same over, including Heinrich Klaasen for none to end with 3-22.
Breetzke, though, managed to calm any nerves that were about when three were needed off two balls when he struck a maximum to finish on 42 and seal a five-wicket win.
Match 24 - Johannesburg Super Kings vs Paarl Royals
The Royals got off to a blazing start inside the powerplay as Jason Roy and Jos Buttler put on 50 inside four overs. Buttler was bowled for a quickfire 21 by Gerald Coetzee midway through the fourth over with the score on 53. The scoring did slow and wickets fell at semi-regular intervals, but Roy did finally reach fifty in the tournament before he was dismissed for 61 off 42 balls towards the end of the 15th over with the score at 130-4. Then, upon completion of the 15th over, the match was called off due to heavy rain.
Match 25 - Durban's Super Giants vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape
The second match on 3rd February also fell victim to the weather. Adam Rossington got off to another blistering start, but not before Reece Topley found himself on a hat-trick after dismissing Bavuma and Jordan Hermann for first-ball ducks. The Sunrisers were 53-3 after 5.2 overs before the umpires called it a day, with Rossington unbeaten on 35 off just 18 balls.
Match 26 - MI Cape Town vs Pretoria Capitals
Irish seamer Josh Little claimed his first SA20 wicket with a delivery clocked at 147kph that castled Roelofsen after debutant Wesley Marshall had been dimissed for 16. Brevis, in at four for the first time in the tournament, struck a couple of incredible sixes before he too was on his way back to the MICT dugout. Van der Dussen, opening in place of Brevis, brought up a fifty in just 26 balls as Cape Town stood at 100-3 after 11 overs.
The South Africa international was unable to go on to add to his score as he chopped on for 51 in the following over. Anrich Nortje was back bowling rockets, with one ball to David clocked at 155kph. His next delivery at 152kph was enough to clean up the Australian. Jimmy Neesham and George Linde played out a strange battle as the latter consistently played and missed at the New Zealander's seaming deliveries. Eventually, Linde nicked behind to leave MICT 117-6 after 14 overs. Despite the precarious position, the deep batting lineup managed to scramble to 160 all out.
In response, the early scoring was dominated by Kusal Mendis as the Capitals reached 50 in quick time before Phil Salt departed for nine. Sam Curran then got rid of Mendis in the same over before Rashid Khan struck with his first ball to get the wicket of Theunis de Bruyn. Rilee Rossouw was able to finally find some form as he bullied his way to 40 off 19 to reduce the required rate down to just 48 needed from 43 balls.
However, despite the seemingly simple equation, the reality proved anything but. Odean Smith snagged two wickets in the 14th over to get the table-toppers down to 115-6 with Neesham one of those dismissed. Senuran Muthusamy played a crucial knock to get the equation down to three needed from seven while eight wickets down. Captain Wayne Parnell, batting at number ten due to an injury, managed to hobble down for a single off the first ball of the last over. Then, Muthusamy clipped Curran to point to leave Pretoria needing two off four balls with number 11 Little on strike.
After a dot ball, a wide was called to seemingly leave the requirement at one needed from three. Khan, though, cleverly reviewed for a caught behind which showed the ball clipping the pad and the wide was reversed. Two dot balls followed, leaving Little needing two from the final ball with a compromised Parnell at the other end. Curran could only produce a full toss which was promptly punted over the enclosed inner field and, with Parnell able to make it back for two, a quite incredible one-wicket win for the league leaders was completed.
Match 27 - Johannesburg Super Kings vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Following his history-making century, Faf du Plessis continued his fine form as he sailed to a fifty in 31 balls as Reeza Hendricks played another supporting role, being 22 not out from 22 at the time. The two saw the Super Kings to 88-0 at the halfway stage and turned into their second hundred partnership shortly after. Hendricks was out for 40 off 36 balls with the score on 119. Wade was out in unfortunate fashion before Donovan Ferreira was out stumped in the same Aidan Markram over after he had briefly lifted his back foot.
Johannesburg were unable to build on their strong start as du Plessis began running out of partners before he holed out himself. The JSK skipper was caught at long-off off the bowling of Sisanda Magala (4-0-24-2) as they finished on 160-6.
The dangerous Adam Rossington was bowled early by Maheesh Theekshana before Jordan Hermann and JJ Smuts were dismissed en route to a double wicket maiden for Gerald Coetzee; Sunrisers were 23-3 after five overs. Bavuma continued the form and aggressive style he displayed against England with a 33 ball fifty to see SEC halfway to the target with 47 balls still to go before he was out next ball.
Kyle Simmonds (4-0-23-3) then struck to dismiss the considerable threat of Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen in consecutive deliveries as the Sunrisers fell to 98-6 after 15. The team hat-trick was completed with the first ball of the 16th over as Markram went for 34. Sunrisers were able to limp to 136-9 and deny JSK a bonus point.
Match 28 - Pretoria Capitals vs Durban's Super Giants
The Super Giants came into this game against the already-qualified Pretoria Capitals with an outside chance of qualifying for the semi-finals themselves. They required a big win to help their net run rate and a bonus point. Batting first, they set about laying the foundations for a big score to defend and that they did. De Kock, dropped on 43, put on 76 inside the powerplay with McDermott. Neesham then took a stunning catch off his own bowling to remove de Kock for a brisk 43 off just 20 balls.
McDermott was out softly for 41 from 24 with DSG 116-2 midway through the tenth over. Willey then gloved a short ball behind to leave the Super Giants at a commanding 118-3 halfway through the innings. The imperious Klaasen brought up his fifty in 23 balls before Neesham took another incredible catch to get rid of Wiaan Mulder for nine and leave DSG 170-4 after just 14 overs.
They brought up 200 in 17.2 overs which was comfortably the quickest to the milestone so far in SA20. Despite being nine from nine balls at one point, Breetzke breezed to 46 off 21 balls before Klaasen was able to get back on strike and strike an enormous six to reach his maiden t20 hundred in just 43 balls; he finished 104 not out off 44 balls. Durban smashed the previous highest score in the tournament to finish on a mammoth 254-4 which was in turn the second highest t20 total ever scored in South Africa; Klaasen and Breetzke put on 84 in the final six overs.
As is often the case when such huge scores are put up, the second innings usually goes one of two ways. The chasing side will put up a strong response or will succumb in attempting to keep up with the massive required rate. In this case, it was the latter. The Capitals were 39-3 at the end of the powerplay, with Salt, Mendis and de Bruyn all falling and Rossouw soon following for 18. Reece Topley, in a rare occurrence in t20s, bowled his four overs straight through for 1-21.
Junior Dala took two caught and bowleds and Pretoria slipped to 70-6 at the halfway stage. The tail was wrapped up quickly with Dala adding another as the Capitals perished for 103 in 13.5 as Durban completed a 151 run win to give their qualification hopes an unimaginable boost.
Match 29 - Johannesburg Super Kings vs MI Cape Town
Cape Town got off to a great start as du Plessis was out first ball of the match. A turning delivery from Linde gripped on the surface and the JSK skipper could only stab it into the covers where his opposite number Khan took a smart ping catch. Curran then bowled a wicket maiden that culminated in the dismissal of Hendricks for 0 before snaring the wicket of Sibenelo Makhanya. Helped by du Plooy and Wade, Johannesburg reached 66-3 at the end of the powerplay.
Jofra Archer then got Wade to chop on for an expressive 40 off just 18 balls before Brevis claimed his first SA20 wicket as Ferreira departed for 19 to leave JSK 113-5 in the 13th. Du Plooy brought up a well-made fifty in 32 balls before Archer got another batter to play on, this time Simmonds for 13. Some late hitting from du Plooy got him up to 81 not out off 48 balls, while Romario Shepherd helped take 17 off the last over to guide the Super Kings to 189-6.
Theekshana got the early wicket of Marshall as MICT struggled to 15-1 in the third over. Some rebuilding was done by van der Dussen (20) and Roelofsen (21) before the pair were dismissed in quick succession. Linde was sent packing as Cape Town faltered to 55-4 at halfway. David threatened with 17 off 8 but after he and Curran went, the writing was on the wall at 90-7 off 14. Brevis struck a couple of lusty blows before he was last out for 27 as Coetzee claimed his third, with the visitors bowled out for 113, leaving JSK victors by 76 runs.
Match 30 - Pretoria Capitals vs Paarl Royals
Yet another flying start was made by the Capitals as Salt and Mendis combined to bring up 50 in 3.2 overs; they crashed their way to 66-0 off the first four overs. Lungi Ngidi then struck as Salt departed for 39 off 21 balls. Eoin Morgan took a great catch to dismiss stand-in captain de Bruyn for 12 but the Capitals were well on their way at 101-2 after ten. Rossouw again fell after a scratchy innings, this time in rather strange fashion for a run-a-ball 13.
Meanwhile, Mendis reached his fifty in 28 balls as Pretoria began to up the ante once more, having been well-placed at 178-3 off 16 overs. Ngidi then dismissed Mendis, but not before he had made his way to 80 from just 41 balls. The damage had not been fully delivered at that point, with Colin Ingram (41 off 21) and Neesham (22 off 11) helping the home side to an imposing 226-4.
That score meant Paarl still needed 163 in order to qualify ahead of Durban on net run rate. A somewhat cumbersome innings from Paul Stirling ended on 19 off 10 after he miscued Bosch towards the short boundary. Then a pacy 152kph delivery from Nortje did for Roy lbw for 10. Mitchell van Buuren was next to depart for just five with the score 38-3 after 5.2 overs. Rashid then outfoxed his former England captain Morgan just as the Irish-born batter was threatening to get going with 24 off 12, leaving Paarl 67-4 in the 9th.
At halfway, the Royals were 76-3 at halfway with Buttler at the crease on 9 off 17 alongside captain David Miller. The chase got a shot of impetus when Buttler survived a miscue as de Bruyn was unable to get his fingers under the ball in time, before striking his next ball for six. Miller then mistimed a shot to midwicket to fall on 11 off 17. Andile Phehlukwayo and Evan Jones were dismissed in quick succession as the Royals slipped to 115-7 with 48 still needed off 25 balls to qualify.
Buttler, as is often the case, was there to inject some further much-needed runs into the equation, taking 18 off the 17th over. He then started the 19th over with a six and two boundaries before skying Neesham for 70 off 45, his highest score of the tournament, with ten still needed to qualify from eight balls with just two wickets remaining. The 163 did come up, with four balls to spare, thanks to four byes off the bowling of Rashid. It was a heavy 67-run defeat in the end for Paarl but they did manage to just about qualify for the semi-finals.
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