MI Cape Town utilised high-quality spin and raw pace to dismantle the Joburg Super Kings in their Betway SA20 clash at Newlands on Saturday evening.
The home side returned to winning ways after their slip-up against the Durban Super Giants on Friday with a commanding seven-wicket victory.
It was MI Cape Town’s bowling unit that set it all up with Kagiso Rabada making his Betway SA20 debut after Jofra Archer and Olly Stone was rested. West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith and Afghanistan wrist-spinner Waqar Salamkheil were also drafted into the MI Cape Town starting XI to play their first games of the competition.
Rabada seemed to enjoy the extra week of rest after the flight from Australia as he bristled in from the Wynberg End. His reward was bountiful as he sent Proteas teammate Reeza Hendricks’ off stump cart wheeling.
This set in motion a procession in the Joburg Super Kings dressing room with the visitors suffering yet another top-order collapse.
After Rabada’s initial strike, the three-pronged MI Cape Town’s spin arsenal took centre stage on a turning Newlands pitch.
George Linde (2/25), Waqar Salamkheil (1/19), and captain Rashid Khan (2/18) delivered their collective total of 12 overs for sum total of 5/63.
And when the pacemen returned Rabada (2/25) and Smith (2/10) combined to restrict the Super Kings to just 110/9.
The MI Cape Town openers Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton then played like they were batting on an entirely different surface as they raced to 65 without loss.
Rickelton (23) gave his wicket away though with a wild swing to a Gerald Coetzee outswinger, but Brevis continued to swing freely as he struck three sixes and two boundaries in his 34-ball 42.
Coetzee, who was also making his Betway SA 20 debut, picked up both wickets and finished with 2/24.
Rassie van der Dussen and Sam Curran ensured there was no further damage as they took MI Cape Town to their second victory of the competition.
