Dawson stars as Sunrisers fell Durban Super Giants again

A clinical bowling display by Sunrisers Eastern Cape spinner Liam Dawson and the team’s seamers helped the home team to a bonus-point six-wicket victory over Durban’s Super Giants in their Betway SA20 clash at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Sunday. 

Man-of-the-match Dawson claimed two for 11 in his four overs and took a splendid catch to help restrict DSG to a modest 115 for eight.

A quick-fire 39 from the bat of David Bedingham, 31 from skipper Aiden Markram and 23 from Jordan Hermann was enough to see the Orange Army home with 28 balls to spare and claim a second consecutive bonus-point win against the Durban side in as many matches. 

The victory also saw the Sunrisers move from the last spot in the standings to the fourth position.

Chasing 116 for victory, the home side got off to a stuttering start losing Zak Crawley (4) when he was caught behind by Quinton de Kock off Naveen-ul-Haq. 

Bedingham and Tom Abell then combined to add 52 runs for the second wicket.

But they would fall within seven balls of each other when Keshav Maharaj trapped Bedingham leg before wicket for 39 before Noor Ahmed removed Abell for 11 with a delivery that spun back to hit his stumps as SEC slipped to 61/3. 

Markram and Hermann steadied the ship for the home side, taking the side to 93 before Hermann (23) holed out at long-on, caught by Matthew Breetzke for Maharaj’s second scalp of the match. 

Needing 23 from the 15th and 16th overs to secure the bonus point, Jon-Jon Smuts conceded 16 runs in the 15th over, leaving the home side with just seven to get from the 16th to complete the five-point win.

Maharaj finished with 2/18, while Ahmed returned with 1/25 as they were the only two bowlers to complete their four-over quotas. 

Earlier, a superb home-side bowling display shook the visitors’ foundations. That they reached their total was largely due to the exploits of Kane Williamson, who top-scored with a gritty 44 from 45 balls while number 10 batter Naveen played an aggressive cameo to add 30. 

For DSG, no other batters managed double figures as the Sunrisers pace attack, alongside left-arm spinner Dawson, ripped their batting line-up to shreds. Marco Jansen and Richard Gleeson also bowled 15 dot balls each, taking important wickets at the top of the order to return figures of 2/23 and 2/19 respectively from a combined eight overs. 

Jansen took care of openers Brandon King (0) and Breetzke (2) in his first two overs, before Gleeson, who conceded one run in his first over, came back to remove De Kock (4) and Smuts (2), while conceding just two runs in the final over of the power play.

Dawson claimed the wickets of Wiaan Mulder (7) and Heinrich Klaasen (8) including 15 dot balls and no boundaries off his bowling, 

Ottniel Baartman (2/30) dismissed Williamson and skipper Maharaj (7) before Naveen and Junior Dala took their side past 100 and further in the final over.

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