86 all out: Durban's Super Giants coach Lance Klusener hits out at 'awful' Kingsmead surface

Durban’s Super Giants coach Lance Klusener has blasted the Kingsmead surface after his team were blown for 86 in their first completed home Betway SA20 game of the season. 

Persistent rain in Durban had washed away the opening game at Kingsmead just a few days ago and the groundstaff has been under heavy pressure to prepare the ground for Tuesday’s clash against Joburg Super Kings. 

It certainly showed with the surface offering both the JSK spinners and pacemen significant assistance after DSG captain Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat. 

DSG old boy Prenelan Subrayen was in rampant form as he outspun the much-vaunted DSG top-order consisting of Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Jos Buttler to finish with figures of 3/16.

Seamer Richard Gleeson then mopped up the tail, as he claimed an incredible 3/2, as DSG faltered with the bat. 

“Yeah, it hurts a little bit actually. Awful surface,” Klusener said frankly. “I thought batting first, batting second, that's not really what the doctor ordered. 

“I think if we look back we could have maybe just made a few more runs somehow and then the game would have been tighter, dropped a few catches which don't help. But yeah, not a great surface.”

The DSG batters had been in sublime form coming into the game, smashing a best-ever 232 at Newlands in the opening game before racing to 37 without loss after just four overs in the rain-affected game. 

Klusener is hoping the blowout on the tricky Kingsmead surface does not have any long-term effects heading into the return clash with JSK on New Year’s Day at the Wanderers. 

“We just need to guard against the surface like this that can take a little bit of confidence away from batters,” he said.

“So we just need to guard against that. But not really too much we can take away from an 86 game. We'll be right back.”

The former Proteas allrounder did, however, admit that they would still have been in with a chance had the fielding been up to scratch. JSK’s top-scorer Rilee Rossouw (43) was afforded two lives on eight and 16 by Kane Williamson and Evan Jones respectively.

Jones’ chance, in particular, was a game-changer with the allrounder dropping a straightforward chance on the boundary off Noor Ahmad, and to add insult to injury, he palmed the ball away for six.

“Fielding is pretty much of a controllable, I think we can be better in that department,” Klusener said.

“Had we taken a few catches the game might have been closer and who knows. So we can take that away.”