'Keep calm and keep a clear mind' - Gleeson the hero in SA20's first Super Over finish

In a high-scoring match at a high-scoring ground at a high altitude, nobody wanted the ball more than Richard Gleeson, who stepped up to deliver the first Super Over in SA20 history for Joburg Super Kings (JSK) against Durban's Super Giants (DSG) on Thursday. With scores tied at 205 after 40 overs, the new year's day crowd at the Wanderers enjoyed an unexpected treat as Gleeson conceded only five runs in the Super Over and JSK then surged to victory and to the top of the points table.

"You don't want easy wins each game. They are great but it's moments like these where you are under pressure and you have to fall back on your skills, which gives you great confidence as a bowler," Gleeson said afterwards. "That's the big bit: trying to execute under pressure. You can practice as much as you want but when you get wet conditions, with the dew and you're under pressure with the crowd, it is difficult. I've got a few techniques that we use with the psychologist and I've done it quite a bit in the past. I just call on that experience to try and keep calm and keep a clear mind."

It was, in fact, the first time Gleeson has bowled a Super Over but he does have plenty of experience and success at the death. In 2022, he delivered the last over for Lancashire against Yorkshire in a Blast game that was tied because he dismissed Harry Brook off the final ball. Overall, since 2022, of bowlers who have delivered more than 400 balls in T20 cricket, Gleeson is the fifth best at the death (overs 17 to 20) in terms of economy rate (8.60) with 47 wickets at 13.82. Bear in mind that Jasprit Bumrah leads this list (6.65) and you have to understand how impressive Gleeson's numbers are.

At the Wanderers, Gleeson took 3 for 41 in DSG's chase in the regular game, which included bouncing Jos Buttler out for 15, removing Aiden Markram with DSG needing 38 runs off 21 balls, and bowling David Wiese with a yorker in the penultimate over. He was then tasked with the Super Over and could have had a wicket first ball when Evan Jones hit him to long-on but Matthew de Villiers put the chance down. That could easily have put Gleeson off and though he had fleeting thoughts that the dropped catch could cost JSK, he quickly put those aside. "[I thought], you've just dropped the match," Gleeson joked. "But I backed myself. I knew I was executing and the next ball was the most important."

As he delivered his second ball, Gleeson saw Buttler backing away and banged it in short and wide, away from where Buttler could connect with it well. He followed up with a yorker which Buttler could only squeeze away for one. Jones kept trying to swing big and inside-edged the next ball for one before Gleeson went short again to Buttler. He finished off with a yorker as DSG totalled just five and things had worked out exactly as Gleeson hoped they would.

"The plans going into the Super Over were really simple: to try and execute the yorkers, try and get them to hit to the longer part of the boundary but not be too predictable," he said. "I knew I had the short ball I could go to, pace off, so I just wanted to try and keep them guessing and have the batter thinking about two deliveries instead of just one."

That Jones, who had earlier brought DSG back into the match with personal highest SA20 score of 43 off just 17 balls, could not get Gleeson away was testament to the bowler's skills.

Jones' strategy during his match-tying innings was simple: "It's about standing still and make sure if the bowler misses, I cash in."

The trouble was that Gleeson didn't miss. "He bowled a great over," Jones said, amid emotions that were running high "everywhere".

Though disappointed with the result, Jones called the match "just great for cricket" and was not too down about DSG's prospects especially as they came back from being dismissed for 86 by this same JSK side two days prior.

DSG are third on the table with one win from four games and remain confident of their chances in this competition. "We take this game as a good thing. We came quite close," Jones said. "With the experience in our team, and a young fast bowler [Kwena Maphaka], we tick a lot of boxes. We'll keep our heads down, play good cricket, and I am pretty sure the results will take care of themselves."