Pooran, Smith Commanding Knocks Guides MI Cape Town to Close Win Over Joburg Super Kings

MI Cape Town defeated Joburg Super Kings by 4 wickets in a thrilling SA20 encounter. The powerful knocks of Nicholas Pooran and Jason Smith allowed MI Cape Town to chase down the target in the last over of the match. Due to several rain related stoppages, the match was reduced to 12-overs per side, in which Joburg Super Kings batted in the first innings.

Despite a tight bowling performance by Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town held their nerves and took the match deep into the last over. The short cameo of Jason Smith at the end was really impressive, as he smashed 22 off 7 balls to give MI Cape Town a thrilling win over Joburg Super Kings.

Batting first, JSK didn’t have a great start as they lost two quick wickets early in the Powerplay. Despite these blows, Faf du Plessis showcased his batting power at the crease by taking on MI Cape Town bowlers aggressively. His counterattack proved effective, as they failed to pick more wickets after removing James Vince and Dian Forrester in the first six overs.

However, MI Cape Town made a strong comeback immediately after the Powerplay. They removed the captain Faf du Plessis in the 7th over when he was looking well set to score a fifty. Nevertheless, his rapid knock of 44 runs was still impressive, as it included 7 fours and 2 sixes in total. It gave the Joburg Super Kings a solid base to launch strongly at the end, but MI Cape Town countered that plan smartly in the closing stages.

After the dismissal of Faf du Plessis, Matthew de Villiers took the responsibility to play at a high strike rate. He made a quick cameo of 21 runs but was eventually dismissed by Corbin Bosch in the 10th over. His wicket triggered a collapse for the Joburg Super Kings, as the middle order failed to put up any fight in the death overs.

Donovan Ferreira was specifically disappointing, as the team was relying on him to score big runs towards the end of the innings. He got out after scoring just 7 runs, as the brilliance of Kagiso Rabada sent him back to the dugout.

Interestingly, Wiaan Mulder didn’t bat up the order in this match, as he came to the crease only in the final overs. The allrounder still played a little cameo of 11 runs that helped Joburg Super Kings to post 123 on the board at the end of the first innings.

A Clinical Run Chase by MI Cape Town

MI Cape Town came up with a set plan to chase the target in the second innings. They utilized the Powerplay conditions to score quick runs, as both Rassie van der Dussen and Nicholas Pooran played positively to put early pressure on the Joburg Super Kings bowlers. The innings of Nicholas Pooran was quite exceptional, as he played at a strike rate of 220 to hit big boundaries.

By smashing 5 gigantic sixes, Pooran gave MI Cape Town the required impetus at the start of the innings. Unfortunately, he was dismissed in the 6th over while trying to hit Nandre Burger for another six. After his dismissal, Joburg Super Kings picked three more wickets quickly to put more pressure on MI Cape Town.

The chase steadily started to become difficult for MI Cape Town, but the arrival of young Jason Smith to the crease turned the match in their favor. His breathtaking power hitting allowed MI Cape Town to come back into the game, as Joburg Super Kings felt helpless against his onslaught.

By playing a stunning cameo of 22 runs, Jason Smith helped MI Cape Town to register their first win of the SA20 2026 season. They chased down the DLS-adjusted target of 128 runs in the last over, as Karim Janat hit the winning runs to take MI Cape Town home in a rain-marred thriller.