HOPE AND NGIDI SPARK CAPITALS TO SA20 THRILLER WIN
In a night bursting with records, drama and match-winning flair, the Pretoria Capitals edged out the Durban Super Giants by 15 runs in their SA20 clash at Kingsmead.
The Capitals were sent in to bat and immediately looked in control thanks to a breathtaking innings from Shai Hope.
The West Indies star smashed an unbeaten 118 off just 69 balls, hitting nine sixes and nine fours to steer Pretoria to 201 for 4 — the highest individual score in SA20 history. Hope’s century was his first in the tournament after nearly 200 T20 innings and came at a crucial moment for the Capitals’ campaign.
Durban’s reply had all the makings of a thriller. The Super Giants kept pace early with contributions from Marques Ackerman and experienced skipper Aiden Markram, but it was Jos Buttler who stole the show, smashing an unbeaten 97 off 52 balls, just three runs shy of his maiden SA20 hundred.
Lungi Ngidi wrote his name into SA20 lore by claiming the first hat-trick in the competition’s history, dismissing David Wiese, Sunil Narine and Gerald Coetzee in quick succession.
The thrilling victory lifts Pretoria into fourth place on the SA20 log, while Durban stays in the hunt but will be left reflecting on what might’ve been after a scintillating effort.
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