Giants set sights on home final
● Push is on to win final two pool matches
Australian Ben Dunk says Tuesday’s fighting victory over the Tshwane Spartans has the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants pumped up and ready to push for a home final at St George’s Park on Monday December 16.
To achieve that, the Giants will probably have to win both of their final two pool matches in the Western Cape against the Cape Town Blitz on Friday and the Paarl Rocks on Sunday.
Top place secures straight passage into the final while second and third contest a playoff next Friday.
The Giants would obviously want to avoid the playoff if they can and Dunk believes they have ability to qualify in pole position.
It was clear at Tuesday night’s game after Dunk scored a career-best 99 not out in chasing down 189 that he is a team man.
He had the opportunity to not take a single in the final over and get the two he needed for a maiden T20 century. But he took the run and let Marco Marais (38 not out) do the final honours.
“You have so many tough days at cricket I guess that when you have the opportunity to have a really good one and get a milestone ... that doesn’t come along very often,” Queenslander, 32, said.
“But I’ve played enough games of cricket to see funny things happen. If the two was there I certainly would have taken it, don’t worry, but it was just more important to get the win.”
Having broken their losing run the team will feel the momentum has swung back in their favour.
“Coming off two losses and staring down the barrel of not playing our best cricket going into the finals, it was just important to get the momentum back in our dressing-room.
“Now we head off to Cape Town for hopefully two wins and then come back here for a home final.”
Dunk, who has 114 T20s to his name, never appeared flustered even when the team had slipped to 28 for three in the fifth over.
The Spartans did afford him three lives through dropped catches but that was no fault of his.
“It certainly helps when you are given a couple of chances along the way.
“But if you keep taking the game deep enough and stay in the game long enough, funny things can happen.
“The harder you work, the luckier you get.
“In terms of staying cool, I’m more like a duck in water. It may be cool on top but underneath my legs were going like crazy,” he said.
Tuesday was not the first time the Giants have come back from the dead, having found ways to win games from almost impossible positions.
“In fairness, we have [surprised] the whole season. We’ve crossed the line a couple of times when people probably thought we wouldn’t have.”
Dunk puts the success down to a team work ethic.
“I’m not sure I’ve been involved with harder-working players in a 20/20 tournament.
“We have optional sessions where 12-13 guys roll in for optional practice. There’s a really great feeling among the guys.
“We’ve had a couple of injuries and even with those, guys have come in and stepped up straight away and it’s just a real credit to the hard work they all putting in and we really seeing the benefits of that with performances like Marco.
“Immy [Imran Tahir] is obviously world class. I thought AK [Akhona Mnyaka] on debut today did a fantastic job.”