Smith trumps du Plessis to help MI Cape Town win 12-overs-a-side shootout

Jason Smith, South Africa's surprise pick at the T20 World Cup, won MI Cape Town their first points since their washout against Durban Super Giants nine days ago, to keep their playoff hopes alive. Chasing a rain-reduced target of 128 in 12 overs against Joburg Super Kings, Smith came in in the 9th over with the score on 95 for 5. MICT needed 39 runs in 19 balls and he hit 22 off 7 balls, including three sixes, to leave them with 12 to get from the last eight balls. Karim Janat and Corbin Bosch saw the team home.

This is MICT's first home win of the season but keeps them at the bottom of the points table. Likewise, JSK stayed in second spot, with half their games played.

The match marked the halfway point of the league phase, with a clear division between the two halves of the table: MICT, PC and DSG have won one game each, while SEC, JSK and PR have won three. The top four teams advance to the playoffs.

MICT victory was particularly important after the way their campaign started as their star-studded bowling attack leaked runs and their batting failed to click. After an hour's rain delay, MICT chose to bowl first and conceded 69 runs in six overs before the rain returned. JSK scored another 54 runs in the next six overs as they went in search of quick runs. Bosch enjoyed a solid return of 3 for 24 and Rashid Khan took 2 for 23 but Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada gave away 56 runs in four overs and continued to struggle for impact.

Those are problems for another day, as MICT celebrate a campaign that could be back on track, while JSK will lament the result of a shortened fixture. Faf du Plessis' 21-ball 44 lacked support and their seamers struggled in wet conditions. Richard Gleeson's 1 for 51 in three overs was the costliest and came after he gave away just five in a Super Over on New Year's Day.

He is no longer involved in international cricket but du Plessis still has all the skills to compete against the best, and showed it in a stunning powerplay takedown of the MICT attack. He gave Rabada some respect when he defended his first ball but then advanced down the track to hit him for four over mid-off and three more boundaries in the over, off a variety of lengths. Then, he sent Linde over long-on before he earned bragging rights when it comes to experience over Boult. Du Plessis cut, drove, clipped and even toe-ended a ball to take 18 balls off the first four balls of Boult's second over. Du Plessis hit seven fours and two sixes in the first 18 balls he faced, and dominated the powerplay. JSK were 69 for 2, and du Plessis on 43 not out.

After an hour and 11 minute rain delay, and with eight overs in the innings lost, JSK were understandably keen to go as quickly as they could and they had to take some risks. Du Plessis thought he had calculated his when he launched the fourth ball after the break towards long-on but he didn't quite get hold of it and Reeza Hendricks took the catch inside the field of play, released the ball as his momentum took him over and recovered in time to hop back in and complete it. Four balls and seven runs later, T20 World Cup bound Donovan Ferreira cleared the front leg to hit Rabada over mid-wicket but the turned the face of the bat too early and sent it high. Ryan Rickelton kept his eyes on it to send Ferreira packing early. In total, JSK lost 5 for 54 in the second half of their innings.

It's not in the DNA of teams from the Highveld to rely on spinners but JSK have embraced turn. They've used offspinner Prenelan Subrayen and left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein with the new ball for the third time in five games this season, and did it again despite the wet conditions, and it worked again. Subrayen bowled a tight opening over that cost just five runs and seemed to challenge Rickelton in particular, with the ball turning into him before Hosein got the breakthrough. Rickelton was able to drive his second ball for four but then lazily chipped the third to du Plessis at mid-off to depart for 5.

With Rickleton out in the second over, MICT promoted the batter who is probably their biggest hitter, Nicholas Pooran to No.3 and he wasted no time in getting going. After surviving an lbw review off the first legitimate ball he faced, his countryman Hosein gave him a bit of room and Pooran hit him over his head for six. That's how he did things for the rest of his innings, as he smashed four more maximums. He sent Richard Gleeson over down the ground, over fine leg and almost onto Campground Road with three sixes in four balls and then pulled Subrayen into the crowd. Just as he looked unstoppable, Nandre Burger, playing his first match of the tournament sent down a slower ball and Pooran sent him to Dian Forrester at extra cover to leave MICT 53 for 2 in the sixth over, with their finisher gone. But Smith stepped into the role later on to finish things off.