Following defeating Paarl Royals twice in a space of three days, Durban Super Giants are proving to be a runaway team on top of the league standings. On Tuesday, they are preparing to play their last league home game against Pretoria Capitals at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban. For the Capitals, a win will push them closer to a semi-finals berth.
With two games to go, Durban Super Giants top the league standings with 28 points following winning 6 matches and losing two in the process. Those losses came from Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Now, the Super Giants will be hoping for a different outcome when hosting the Capitals. In the first fixture at Centurion, Will Jacks delivered a man-of-the-match performance scoring a 101-not-out to take Capitals to a command-able 204 total having asked to bat first. Despite Ricee Topley taking three wickets on the day, Jacks stood firm to deliver one of the important knocks in the second edition of the SA20 tournament. Jacks not only delivered with the bat but also took two scalps to ensure Super Giants were bowled out for 187 runs.
Now that loss to the Super Giants is still hurting. They managed to find a way and deliver good performances throughout the season, the last match at home shall give fans more to celebrate. One would say that the Durban outfit has been a different all-team together than they were at the start of the season. In two wins against Paarl Royals, the spinners Noor Ahmad and Naveen Ul-haq played with their hearts out. Then the opponents had no answers at all. These spin bowlers were only introduced in the second half of the season. At first, all hopes were on Jan Jan Smuts, Keshav Maharaj, and Topley to do the damage with the ball. So far, the log leaders are proving to be expectations in all departments.
When it comes to batting, Heinrich Klaasen has been in incredible form. In the last match, he smashed the fastest half-century with just 16 balls. The opening batsman Matthew Breetzke has been excellent, and he is second on the run-go-getter list with 301 runs. The depth the side possesses makes it difficult to dispatch easily. Meanwhile, the Capitals are in a state to bother. Things are not going their way this season.
Following a close win over Sunrisers Eastern Cape last week, the Capitals were hoping to build from it. But a no-result clash against Joburg Super Kings delayed their plans. Now traveling to face the Super Giants, would be eyeing to get the double over the opponents. It won’t be a train smash though as the Super Giants have proven to be a tough competitor. But as the team that understands the big games considering they reached finals last year. The atmosphere is supposed to be calm inside the camp and have one goal in mind. Their task is to win all remaining three games without having to rely on other teams. It might seem achievable, but it is a team that has disappointed too much this season. But can they turn around the corner?
What To Expect
A very sunny day and in Durban with the temperature reaching as high as 30 degrees. The pitch is favorable for the team batting first.
Prediction
Best Bet: Durban Super Giants to win at 1.57