Evan Jones scored just seven runs from six balls but it was enough to give the Durban Super Giants a desperately needed victory by just two-wickets with three balls to spare in their SA20 match against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape at St.George’s Park on Sunday afternoon.
Captain Tristan Stubbs burst into life in the closing overs of the first innings to help the Sunrisers to a competitive total of 158-5 after choosing to bat first but it proved marginally insufficient with tailender Gerald Coetzee striking a vital six in the penultimate over and Jones the match-winning four as DSG closed on 162-8 from 19.3 overs.
When Kwena Maphaka arrived at the crease DSG required five from seven balls with allrounder Jones at the non-strikers end so it was a surprise when the two batsmen ran a leg bye off the final ball of the 19th over leaving Maphaka on strike for the final over with four run runs required.
But the 19-year-old fast bowler had the presence of mind to scramble a leg bye off the first ball from Anrich Nortje leaving Jones to finish a thrilling victory which keeps the Super Giants alive in the tournament.
It could have been so much easier for the visitors with Marques Ackerman belting 45 from just 26 balls and posting 49 for the first wicket with Aiden Markram. But there was a seemingly inevitable wobble on a tricky, slow pitch.
Captain Markram scored 24 of his 25 runs with six fours before Marco Jansen grabbed a brilliant boundary catch off Senuran Muthusamy as he attempted a first six and Jos Buttler fell to the same bowler for a run-a-ball 22.
Sunil Narine’s promotion to No 4 failed with a three-ball duck and when Heinrich Klaasen (10 from 11 balls) cut Sri Lanka’s ambidextrous spinner, Tharindu Ratnayake, to cover the DSG run chase was spluttering.
David Bedingham (16) and England’s Liam Livingstone (10) both hoiked drives against Marco Jansen and Nortje to ‘keeper Quinton de Kock and it was left to Coetzee to thump a straight six to bring the run-rate below a run a ball.
Earlier, like his teammates, captain Stubbs struggled to score at better than a run-a-ball before the final two overs which yielded five fours and a six as he finished with 47* from 30 balls on a slow pitch which made timing difficult for the batsmen.
Englishman Lewis Gregory (25 from 17 balls*) came to the crease at 87-5 and partnered Stubbs in a fine sixth wicket partnership of 71 to give the log-leaders a chance of moving six points clear of their nearest challengers if they can defend the score.
De Kock (13), Jonny Bairstow (11) and Matthew Breetzke (20) were all caught on, or close to the boundary before Jordan Hermann (29) was trapped lbw by Maphaka and Jansen (6) heaved the excellent Afghan wrist-spinner, Noor Ahmed (4-0-20-1) to deep midwicket.
But Gregory and Stubbs bided their time and waited for the final two overs which paid rich dividends. Gerald Coetzee (4-0-32-1) had conceded just 12 runs from his first three overs before 20 came from his fourth while Kwena Maphaka (4-0-44-1) leaked another 19 from his final over, the 20th of the innings.
SUNRISERS EASTERN CAPE: Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Matthew Breetzke, Jordan Hermann, Tristan Stubbs (captain), Marco Jansen, Lewis Gregory, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Adam Milne, Tharindu Ratnayake.
DURBAN SUPER GIANTS: Aiden Markram (captain), Marques Ackerman, Jos Buttler, David Bedingham, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Liam Livingstone, Evan Jones, Gerald Coetzee, Sunil Narine, Kwena Maphaka, Noor Ahmed.