• DSG win thriller to stay in playoff contention

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    Durban’s Super Giants beat the Sunrisers Eastern Cape by two wickets with three balls to spare in their SA20 clash at St George’s Park on Sunday.

    The win kept DSG’s playoff chances alive as they moved past MI Cape Town into fifth place. Only four points separate the first-placed Sunrisers (19) and Paarl Royals (15) in fourth place, although the Royals have played one game less.

    The Super Giants required Evan Jones to hold his nerve in the last over, with the all-rounder smashing Anrich Nortje for a boundary to set off the celebrations in the visiting dressing room.


    Earlier, DSG had looked well on course for the win when they blasted their way to 71-1 in the powerplay in response to the Sunrisers’ 158-5.

    Captain Aiden Markram, on his return to St George’s Park, stroked half a dozen boundaries in his 13-ball 25 before he was brilliantly caught by Marco Jansen on the long-off boundary.

    Opening partner Marques Ackerman maintained the momentum with 45 off 26 balls to leave DSG at 80-2 with only a further 79 required off just less than a run-a-ball.

    But the Sunrisers clawed their way back into the game through a brilliant spell of left-arm spin bowling from Senuran Muthusamy (2-20) and the pace of Nortje and Jansen.

    Sunil Narine, Heinrich Klaasen, Jos Buttler, David Bedingham and Liam Livingstone all fell to poor shots to suddenly leave DSG precariously placed at 137-7 after 17.2 overs.

    It was left to tailender Gerald Coetzee (13 off six balls) to strike a crucial boundary in the penultimate over to give DSG a chance.

    HIGHLIGHTS: Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Durban’s Super Giants

    Earlier, the Sunrisers’ innings was a stop-start affair, with DSG’s Caribbean import Sunil Narine (1-24) dominating the first powerplay. The former West Indies T20 World Cup winner showed his value with an excellent spell, which included a maiden, to restrict the Sunrisers upfront.

    The home team’s innings only really gathered momentum with the arrival of captain Tristan Stubbs who hit 47* off 30 balls.

    Stubbs started slowly, managing only 11 off 18 balls, before a late onslaught with Lewis Gregory (25* off 17 balls) saw the Sunrisers blast 53 runs in the final three overs.

    But it proved too little in the end as DSG overhauled the target in a tense final over.

    Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics

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    Lindiz Vanzilla