Total blast from Jon-Jon and Giants
Jon-Jon Smuts’s men the team to beat after demolition job on Blitz
The Nelson Mandela Bay Giants have completed only four of their 10 Mzansi Super League round-robin games but they already have a target on their backs.
The Jon-Jon Smuts-led franchise are riding the crest of the wave, occupying top spot on the log.
There have been three victories and a rainout and that has been enough for them to accumulate 15 points, two ahead of the Cape Town Blitz, who have played one more game.
It is a position the squad will relish but also one that has put them in the crosshairs of opposition teams.
Their most recent triumph, an incredible five-wicket victory in a venue record run chase against the second-placed Blitz at St George’s Park, underlined just how dangerous the Bay outfit are at the moment.
The oldest Test ground in the country is quickly becoming a fortress for Smuts and his team and though the skipper led from the front with a brilliant 73, he was quick to acknowledge that there is more to the squad than just individuals.
“The big thing in T20 cricket is that you can have one or two individuals stand up and win you games but when you put in a really big team performance it means you playing well as a unit,” Smuts said after the Giants chased down 186 to edge the Blitz with four balls to spare.
“I believe that if you playing well as a unit something is going to happen for you.
“I don’t want to say you relying on someone else but you’ve always got someone else and you’re backing him 100 percent.
“Sometimes, if you have one or two individuals starring, it’s great. But if they keep doing it you wonder what everyone else is doing.
“Cricket is also a great leveller. So far, we’ve bowled unbelievably in the powerplay and today they batted unbelievably well.
“It brings you back down to earth because the way we have been bowling in the powerplay has been impressive.”
Smuts was referring to the fact that the Blitz, after winning the toss, were able to reach the 100 mark inside 10 overs.
It was uncharacteristically off-colour showing by the Giants’ seamers, who had been extremely effective until Wednesday.
But an inspired performance from Imran Tahir of two for 28 in his four overs and two valuable wickets for Onke Nyaku saw them pull matters back smartly in the second quota of 10 overs.
Chris Morris was also carted early but came back superbly well at the death.
“I think we probably didn’t have the best 10 overs up front with the ball but we brought it back really nicely in the second half of the innings.
“Imran Tahir bowled a fantastic spell. Two for 28 in four was really special and then the way our seamers bowled at the end to restrict them in the last five.
“They were probably looking at 220-230 at one stage and for us to restrict them to 180-odd was really good. The game ebbed and flowed and we were first three for two and then 50 for three.
“But the nice thing about St George’s with the new, spectacular lights is the ball does seem to skid on at night and luckily we managed to get over the line.”