MI Cape Town depart Newlands with SA20 defeat

MI Cape Town fell to a 52-run defeat to the Pretoria Capitals in their final home fixture of the SA20, much to the chagrin of the capacity crowd who packed the seats and grass banks of Newlands.

We're out at Newlands tonight for @MICapeTown's last home fixture of the #SA20, where they host the @Pretoriacapitls.
We expect a capacity crowd tonight, so there will be big GEES!
MI won the toss and will bowl first. pic.twitter.com/aD1AWYZEdT
— Smile90.4 FM (@Smile904FM) January 23, 2023

The expectations of the near-sold-out crowd might have played on the minds of the MICT players, as they stumbled out of the blocks. Two drop catches within the first eight deliveries of the match got MI off to the worst possible start. It awarded the two Pretoria Capitals openers, Kusal Mendis and Will Jacks, a second life – and boy, did they cash in.

The two sent the ball to all ends of Newlands and within the first six overs, the Capitals accumulated 82-runs – a tournament record. The wickets would eventually tumble, but Mendis and Jacks already inflicted massive damage.

“There’s a reason there’re clichés in cricket ‘catches win matches’ and that killed us today”, said MI Cape Town coach, Simon Katich.

“They took the game away from us in the power play. I’m really proud of the way we fought after that to get back in the game. It showed a lot of spirit and character to keep them to 182.

“It is disappointing because we had our chances.”

After a tough start for @MICapeTown, they clawed their way back into the game. Two dropped catches in the opening overs gave the PC batters the licence to free their arms. They reached 84 in the first 6.
While PC looked destined to post 200+ wickets started tumbling. MI need 183. pic.twitter.com/LbXFIRVMdR
— Smile90.4 FM (@Smile904FM) January 23, 2023

MI Cape Town start with a bang but end with a fizzle

The batting pair of Dewald Brevis and Sam Curran gave the MI fans reason to be optimistic at the initial phase of the chase. Brevis was especially entertaining as he hit a couple of no-look sixes.

The tide would, however, turn against MI, and the crowd was stunned into silence, as one wicket proceeded the other. None of the MI top-order batters converted on a decent start. The Capitals would ultimately bowl MI Cape Town out for a mere 130 in the 19^th over.

Newlands – Not the fortress MI hoped it would be

While the results at the MI Cape Town home base were inconsistent, Captonions still came out in numbers to support this new SA20 franchise.

“Massive thank you to the crowds. I’m very happy to play here. We are very sorry we couldn’t give you all a win today,” said captain Rashid Khan.

Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, the captain said they will stick to the basics.

“I think in the last part of the tournament, we can’t do too much experimentation. We just need to stay calm, stay relaxed and do the basics right. I think the 7-8 days break we have will be good for us.”

And just like that, a magical evening at Newlands comes to an end. Unfortunately, @MICapeTown couldn’t feed off the energy from the capacity crowd, coming up short in their pursuit of the 183-run target.
PC extend their lead atop the SA20 table, as they bowl MI out for 130. pic.twitter.com/CrRFd2AxWt
— Smile90.4 FM (@Smile904FM) January 23, 2023

from SA20 to Protea ODI-series

Tuesday, 24 January will see the last couple of matches before the tournament breaks to accommodate a three-match ODI series between the Proteas and England.

The first is set to be decided in Bloemfontein on Friday, 27 January, before they engage in another bout at the Mangaung oval on Sunday.

The series will conclude on 1 February, when the two nations engage in battle on the Diamond Oval in Kimberley.