‘RVD’ The Hero As MI Cape Town Thump Joburg Super Kings At The Wanderers | SA T20 Cricket
In the first Wanderers match of Betway SA20 Season 2, MI Cape Town have beaten hosts Joburg Super Kings by 98 runs. In the process, Kieron Pollard’s team claimed the first bonus point of the campaign.
After Faf du Plessis won the toss and decided JSK would field, rain arrived and delayed the start of Match 5 of the season by 50 minutes.
When Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton eventually arrived at the crease, the Bullring crowd was starting to hum with excitement for a campaign that promises much. They didn’t have to wait long to see one of their key signings for the season, Moeen Ali, in action as he opened the bowling from the Golf Course End. Nandre Burger, fast becoming a fan favourite across the country, took the new ball from the Corlett Drive End.
Initially, MICT accumulated in singles as they assessed the pitch, before van der Dussen lashed back-to-back fours off Lizaad Williams’ first over.
Back-to-back boundaries started to become a trend for ‘RVD’ and ‘Ricks’ as the latter smashed two sixes off a Burger over, then the former slashed consecutive fours off a Williams over before Rickelton again picked off consecutive fours to bring up MICT’s 50 off just 27 balls.
Du Plessis tried his best to rotate his JSK battery of bowlers but none could stem the runs – Romario Shepherd went for 16 off his first over, and so did veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir.
At that stage the projected score was 220, but little did JSK and their passionate punters know.
Van der Dussen and Rickelton, who both play their domestic cricket at the Wanderers, helped themselves to boundaries at will. Van der Dussen brought up his 50 off 26 balls, then the pair brought up their century partnership off 53 balls before Rickelton totted up his second fifty of the season, off 28 balls.
By then runs were flowing freely off the bats of the opening pair.
“It looked to me straight off the bat like an ‘old’ Wanderers pitch - it was going around a little bit initially,” revealed Van der Dussen post-match.
“To an extent we were fairly relieved, especially because they played three spinners, but we reverted to a traditional Wanderers game plan.”
That insider knowledge sure worked, not least for Van der Dussen who brought up a deserved century off 46 balls courtesy nine 4s and six 6s. A few balls later, he and Rickelton ticked the score to 200 without loss – by now well ahead of the League record partnership (for any wicket) of 157 set by Du Plessis and Reeza Hendricks last season.
When van der Dussen finally departed, for 104, attention switched to whether his partner could also reach the hallowed three-figure mark.
Unfortunately, it was not to be, when Burger found an edge off Rickelton’s bat and Ronan Herrmann did the rest to leave the left-hander two short on 98 – his new highest T20 score.
Dewald Brevis and Liam Livingstone had come and gone while the milestones were being achieved and passionately celebrated, and when Sam Curran was bowled off the final ball MICT had set JSK a mammoth 244 to win.
When their turn came to bat, Super Kings faltered almost from the get-go. In the second over, Reeza Hendricks and Du Plessis miscommunicated going for a third run and the former was run out - in part sacrificing himself.
JSK’s rookie Ronan Herrmann came to the crease and showed intent but his execution let him down when trying to go big off Kagiso Rabada and Beuran Hendricks snaffled a catch down at third man. Du Plessis (6 off 10) and Ali (11 off 8) then fell in short succession the heart of JSK’s batting lineup were back in the changeroom.
Leus du Plooy was not shirking from the challenge, however. The left-hander attacked the men in blue but almost on his own as he raced to 48 off 24 before an ill-judged second run saw his innings end at the arm of Beuran Hendricks and nifty work from Rickelton.
Shepherd tried valiantly too, but having been dropped twice in the outfield, Pollard was not going to give him a third chance when bucketing a hooked skier off Stone’s bowling – he departed for 34 off 19.
Thereafter the tailenders offered little resistance to the MICT bowling attack, who all picked up wickets in the innings – George Linde and Olly Stone being the pick with 2/25 off four overs and 2/18 off 2.5 overs respectively.
Joburg Super Kings won’t have long to lick their wounds before being back in action on Monday at Kingsmead against Durban’s Super Giants. MI Cape Town, meanwhile, now get to look forward to their first home match of the season when they host Sunrisers Eastern Cape on Tuesday at Newlands. Both matches start at 17:30.
