Headlines dominated by Du Plessis victory of crucial importance for JSK
- Faf du Plessis’s brilliant performance was the difference in a must-win game for the Joburg Super Kings over the Durban Super Giants. Joburg Super Kings chased down 179 with five balls to spare thanks to an undefeated century from Faf du Plessis, highlighted by eight sixes. Du Plessis’s century was part of a fantastic 157-run opening stand with Reeze Hendricks. Hendricks had a rough inning overall, with du Plessis doing most of the damage. Just 8 runs were scored in the first 3 overs, and 25 in the first 5. As du Plessis’s team reached 72/0 at the midway point of the chase, the openers were able to move on.
- Taking on Jason Holder, the veteran hit him for a few of sixes and a four, shifting the advantage back to the batting side. After taking a beating all night long, Hardus Viljoen watched as du Plessis tacked on 21 runs in one over, reducing the required total to 48 runs in the final five overs. Hendricks, who had been batting on 27 off 41 balls, finally contributed by hitting a few important boundaries that slowed the scoring rate even further. Du Plessis stayed till the end, and his team won their fourth game in a row in the tournament after Hendricks was removed for 45.
- Super Giants had a shaky start to the evening, despite Kyle Mayers’ scorching 28 runs off just 15 balls at the top of the order. Quinton de Kock failed to contribute at the other end, as the Super Giants collapsed to 46/3. Then, Matthew Breetzke and Heinrich Klaasen put together a 75-run stand to save their team, setting the game up for a thrilling finale. Both of the set hitters were dismissed by Gerald Coetzee, which sent the batting side down a peg until Holder’s heroics helped them climb back up. The West Indies reached 178 for 6 thanks in large part to the undefeated 28 not out scored by their all-arounder off just 12 balls in the last over. Sadly, his efforts with the bat were nullified later in the day when he was the target of du Plessis’s vicious onslaught along with the rest of his teammates.
