Leus du Plooy scored an unbeaten 81, while Maheesh Theekshana and Kyle Simmonds starred with the ball as Joburg Super Kings beat MI Cape Town at the Wanderers.
Ongama Gcwabe, in Gqeberha — The duo of Maheesh Theekshana and Kyle Simmonds spun MI Cape Town into misery at the Wanderers on Monday night.
Another slow and spinner friendly wicket was dished out at the Wanderers on Monday night. It was clear that the ball would grip and spin off the pitch when spinner George Linde dismissed Faf du Plessis off the very first ball of the match.
Du Plessis uncharacteristically mistimed a regulation backfoot punch off a short-pitched delivery from Linde and Rashid Khan made no mistake in taking the catch at cover.
Pace off the ball accounted for Reeza Hendricks who too walked back to the dugout without scoring courtesy of Sam Curran’s slower delivery. Curran accounted for Sibonelo Makhanya in his next over strangling the Super Kings to 34/3 in the fourth over.
It was characteristic of a team low in confidence when MI Cape Town just couldn’t capitalize on their good start with the ball. Leus du Plooy was allowed to settle and alongside Matthew Wade (40) they piled on the runs combining for a 46-run partnership.
Du Plooy (81) continued his purple patch as he propelled the Super Kings to a competitive 189/6.
Du Plessis unleashed his two spinners at the struggling MI Cape Town team and it didn’t take long for Maheesh Theekshana to strike trapping Wesley Marshal leg-before wicket. Kyle Simmonds too went into his work and got the better of Rassie van der Dussen and Grant Roelofsen.
Fast bowlers Lizaad Williams and Gerald Coetzee accounted for the MI Cape Town tail with three wickets in the last three overs of the innings. The Super Kings registered a bonus point win at home as they won by 76 runs.
Scorecard
Joburg Super Kings:189-6 (Du Plooy 81, Wade 40, Curran 2/26, Archer 2/35)
MI Cape Town: 113-10 (Brevis 27, Roelofsen 21, Simmonds 3/23, Coetzee 3/27)
Joburg Super Kings won by 76 runs
