Pooran shines with fifty in win, Shepherd fireworks in vain

GQEBERHA, South Africa, CMC – Former West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran blasted a breathtaking half-century as Durban Super Giants beat Sunrisers Eastern Cape by 35 runs in the SA20 here yesterday.

The left-hander carved out a typically robust 60 not out off 31 balls while Man-of-the-Match JJ Smuts top-scored with 75 off 38 deliveries, the pair propelling Super Giants to 225 for three off their 20 overs at St George’s Park.

After choosing to bat first, Super Giants were handed a strong start by Matthew Breetzke who struck 43 off 29 balls with four fours and three sixes, in posting 58 for the first wicket with Quinton de Kock (23) and 27 for the second wicket with Smuts.

Once Breetzke perished in the 10th over, Smuts and Pooran dominated in a third wicket stand of exactly 100. Smuts, a 35-yearold right-hander, smashed four fours and seven sixes while Pooran counted five fours and four sixes, while gathering his fifty off 27 deliveries.

When Smuts fell in the 18th over, Pooran ensured a strong finish to the innings by adding a further 40 in an unbroken fourth wicket stand with Heinrich Klaasen (13 not out).

In reply, Tom Abell (65) and Tristan Stubbs (55) struck halfcenturies but Eastern Cape found themselves well short at 190 for nine.

The pair put on 93 for the third wicket to pull the chase around from 13 for two in the second over.

Stubbs kept the fight going after Abell departed in the 13th over, adding a further 39 for the sixth wicket with Beyers Swanepoel (8) before the innings faltered.

At the Wanderers in Johannesburg, West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd belted a 19-ball 34 but his Joburg Super Kings crashed to a 98-run defeat to the Kieron Pollard-led MI Cape Town.

Asked to chase a mammoth 244, Super Kings stumbled to 145 all out in the 18th over with Leus du Plooy top-scoring with 48 from 24.

Shepherd, who had earlier managed only one wicket, clobbered

Left-hander Nicholas Pooran. three fours and two sixes before he was ninth out at the start of the 18th over.

Sent in earlier, Cape Town were carried by Rassie van der Dussen who plundered 104 off 50 balls with nine fours and halfdozen sixes, in an opening stand of 200 with Ryan Rickelton, whose 98 came from 49 deliveries and included half-dozen fours and eight sixes.