Du Plooy, bowlers star as JSK sink MI Cape Town

The Joburg Super Kings capped off the group stages of the inaugural edition of SA20 on a high with a 76-run win over MI Cape Town at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Leus du Plooy laced a majestic 81* to help the hosts post a first innings score of 189 before Gerald Coetzee and Kyle Simmonds picked up six wickets between them to skittle MI Cape Town for 113 in 17.5 overs.

Monday’s result had no result on the bearing of the tournament, with MI Cape Town sitting at the bottom of the table after having been eliminated from SA20 and Joburg Super Kings already assured of a spot in the semi-finals.

All eyes were on Faf du Plessis after Rashid Khan won the toss and sent JSK into bat. The opener scored 113 and 92 in his last two innings in the tournament, but his luck ran out against MI Cape Town, with the skipper dismissed off the first ball of the innings. Rashid Khan took a blinder at cover to send back Du Plessis for a golden duck, and MI CT picked up two further wickets in the powerplay to apply early pressure onto Johannesburg.

Reeza Hendricks pulled Sam Curran to Tim David in the deep to depart for a duck, while Sibonelo Makhanya mistimed a short delivery to Kagiso Rabada in the fourth over. However, Leus du Plooy and Matthew Wade ensured that the early wickets didn’t rob Johannesburg of any momentum in the powerplay. The two left-handers launched a stunning counterpunch, with du Plooy carting Archer through the off-side and Matthew Wade punishing Sam Curran for 18 runs in a single over.

Wade chopped one onto his stumps after a stunning cameo of 40 from 18 to peg JSK back, but Du Plooy batted through the innings to take the hosts to a commanding total. The southpaw got to his fifty with a couple of boundaries against Tim David and helped JSK score 66 runs in the final six overs, finishing with an impressive 81 off 48 deliveries.

Chasing 190, MI Cape Town got off to a solid start. The visitors added 46 runs in the first eight overs for the loss of just one wicket, but the chase soon fell apart through the middle as the JSK bowlers ran riot. Kyle Simmonds picked up two scalps in an over, and the wickets kept tumbling for MI Cape Town as they bundled out for 113 inside 18 overs to end their season on a sombre note.