Durban's Super Giants stay in playoffs contention following Markram century

Durban’s Super Giants captain Aiden Markram secured a bonus-point 58-run victory over the Paarl Royals at Kingsmead Stadium on Saturday to help the team stay in contention for the two remaining playoff spots.

Markram blasted a century in Durban on Saturday afternoon, helping the Super Giants keep their hopes of progressing to the next stage of the tournament alive.

As a leader of the side, Markram had to step up, given that the Super Giants required a bonus point victory to give themselves the best chance of progressing to the playoffs.

Indeed, the right-handed batter played a captain’s knock, smashing 12 boundaries and five maximums enroute to a 58-ball 108 and helped the hosts set 189/7.

Heinrich Kaasen (29) and Kane Williamson (22) played a hand, as they set a very competitive total.

Paarl Royals’ quick Hardus Viljoen was the chief destroyer for the visiting bowling attack, taking 4/21 in his allotted four overs, while Ottneil Baartman (1/35) and Sikandar Raza (0/57) had a rare off day in Durban.

With a competitive score set, it was all up to the Super Giants' bowling attack to put the nail in the coffin and help the hosts secure a bonus point victory.

Spinners Markram and Sunil Narine stepped up, cleaning up the opening pair of Kyle Verreynne (23) and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (7), to give the hosts a good start with the ball.

With the wicket at Kingsmead Stadium proving to be very conducive to spin on the day, Narine (2/18) struck for the second time, while spinners Liam Livingstone and Simon Harmer also got in on the action.

Harmer returned sparkling figures of 1/13 in four overs, taking the big wicket of David Miller (5), while Livingstone (1/25) accounted for the capable Delano Potgieter (5).

To wrap up the tail, captain Markram brought out his big guns, the fast bowlers Kwena Maphaka and Gerald Coetzee.

The pair took three wickets between them, with Maphaka clean bowling Raza (21) with a 147 KPH thunderbolt, while Coetzee took care of Hardus Viljoen (2) and Ottneil Baartman (0) to hand the Super Giants a 58-run victory.

Durban’s Super Giants have finished their round robin fixtures and sit with 19 points and have a chance to sneak into the playoffs depending on the results of the other teams’ fixtures over the next few days.

Full Scorecard

Durban’s Super Giants: 189/7 (Aiden Markram 108; Hardus Viljoen 4/21)

Paarl Royals: 131 (Bjorn Fortuin 35 not out; Sunil Narine 2/18)

Durban’s Super Giants won by 58 runs.