Durban Super Giants secure narrow win in high-scoring thriller

Durban Super Giants withstood an opening onslaught from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Will Jacks to eke out a narrow two-run victory over the Pretoria Capitals in a high-scoring thriller at the Kingsmead in Durban. Kane Williamson top-scored for the Super Giants with a 40-ball 60, while fiery knocks from opener Bryce Parsons (47 off 28) and finisher Wiaan Mulder (45* off 19) set the team up well at the halfway stage. Capitals nearly thwarted that through their swashbuckling openers but fell agonisingly short.

The Super Giants openers Parsons and Matthew Breetzke flew off the blocks, smashing 67 runs in the PowerPlay. Senuran Muthusamy, who finished with incredible figures of 3-21 in a 200-v-200 fixture, broke the first stand in the seventh over with the wicket of Breetzke and then took out Parsons too, ending the latter's whirlwind essay in the ninth over. Super Giants got to 96/2 at the halfway stage but lost Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen in the space of four deliveries to fall to 118/4 in the 14th over.

Mulder then joined Williamson for a 91-run stand off 39 balls to power the team past the 200-run mark. This included a 21-run over off Liam Livingstone in which Mulder carted three sixes and a 22-run over off Eathan Bosch who was ripping into, by both Mulder and Williamson. They added 82 runs in the last five overs to put their side on course for a win.

Jacks and Gurbaz arrived with different ideas on the other side of the innings break. Sixes flew off both their bats for fun as they amassed 81 runs in the PowerPlay. The sixth over was the only one of that phase - from Naveen-ul-Haq - where neither a four or a six was conceded. They still got a rollicking start having taken 19 runs off Mulder's over in the fourth and 22 off Chris Woakes's over in the fifth. There was no slowing the two down even after the field restrictions relaxed as Gurbaz swung his way to a 22-ball 50 in the seventh over and the 100-run stand was reached in the following over from Noor. By 12 overs, Capitals had 154/0 on the board, galloping towards their big target with the asking rate now down to just seven an over. Then came the turning point.

Noor foxed his Afghanistan compatriot Gurbaz with a googly, getting him to hit one straight to Klaasen at long on to trudge back for a 43-ball 89 that included three fours and seven sixes. The table began to turn violently as the Super Giants picked a wicket in each of the next three overs - Woakes had Rilee Rossouw chopping on off a slower ball, Noor cleaned up Jacks for 64 off just 35 balls and Woakes then cleaned up Muthusamy. With that the Capitals fell to 183/4 in 15.5 overs. Naveen then bowled an incredible 18th over for just two runs to take the equation to 17 off 12, which was still within reach for the Capitals.

Maharaj built up the pressure on Liam Livingstone and Kyle Verreynne by giving just three singles in the first three balls, prompting a risky shot that came with the wicket of the latter. Maharaj then bowled two dots to Steve Stolk, closing out a three-run penultimate over and leaving Naveen with 14 to defend.

14 off 6 became 9 off 3 when Verreynne pulled a short ball for four to keep the chase alive. Naveen responded with a well-executed yorker on the stumps that allowed only a single, leaving Stolk to get 4 off 1 ball. Stolk attempted to put the length ball away but missed, and could only run one off a leg bye, giving the Super Giants a memorable victory.

Brief Scores:Durban Super Giants209/4 in 20 overs (Kane Williamson 60*, Bryce Parsons 47, Wiaan Mulder 45*; Senuran Muthusamy 3-21) beat Pretoria Capitals 207/6 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 89, Will Jacks 64; Noor Ahmad 2-34) by 2 runs