Cricket
SA20 nail-biter ends in Durban Super Kings’ favour─── ILSE SMALBERGER 09:49 Mon, 12 Jan 2026
It was another SA20 nail-biting encounter yesterday afternoon with Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) edging home by two wickets over Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) at St George’s Park.
SEC opted to bat after winning the toss, and Quinton de Kock and Jonny Bairstow got off to a quick start. But Gerald Coetzee had Bairstow pulling a short ball to midwicket for the first wicket in the third over.
De Kock then fell to Sunil Narine in the next over, and SEC was suddenly 26/2. Jordan Hermann stabilised the innings with a 24-ball 29 but was trapped lbw by Kwena Maphaka just short of the halfway mark of the innings.
DSG Captain Aidan Markram greeting SEC fans after the match. Photo: Facebook/Durban Super Giants
Matthew Breetzke managed 20 off 22, but Jansen fell in the 14th over, putting SEC under pressure. However, Sunrisers’ captain Tristan Stubbs put a decent score on the scoreboard (47 not out off 30 balls), and a late onslaught with Lewis Gregory (25 not out off 17 balls) saw the Sunrisers blast 53 runs in the final three overs for a total of 158/5.
Marques Ackerman and Aidan Markram gave DSG a flying start, and the victory had all but looked secure when DSG blasted 71/1 in the Powerplay. The former Sunrisers skipper silenced the Orange Army with a half dozen boundaries in his 13-ball 25 before he was brilliantly caught by Marco Jansen on the long-off boundary.
But Sunrisers chipped away at the DSG middle-order through a brilliant spell of left-arm spin bowling from Senuran Muthusamy (2/20) and pace of Nortje and Jansen. Sunil Narine, Heinrich Klaasen, Jos Buttler, David Bedingham, and Liam Livingstone all fell to injudicious shots to leave DSG precariously placed at 137/7 after 17.2 overs.
With DSG needing 15 runs off the final two overs, Gerald Coetzee launched Milne for a six in the penultimate over to bring the equation down to under a run a ball. Milne had his revenge, castling Coetzee, but the damage was done.
After the game, Sunrisers left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy, who took two wickets for 20 runs, said it was a close game that this time did not go in their favour.
DSG’s victory with three balls to spare not only kept their playoff chances alive and kicking by moving past MI Cape Town into fifth place, but it has also created a bun fight at the top of the League table. Only four points separate first-placed Sunrisers and Paarl Royals in fourth place, although the Royals have played one game less.
