Super Kings bounce back with stunning victory
Sunrisers Eastern Cape: 118 all out
David Bedingham 48; Hardus Viljoen 4/24
Joburg Super Kings: 119/1
Devon Conway 76*; Beyers Swanepoel 1/24
Joburg Super Kings won by nine wickets
The Joburg Super Kings returned to winning ways with a stunning bonus-point nine-wicket victory over the Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the Bullring on Sunday evening. Opening batter Devon Conway guided the Super Kings to victory with an unbeaten half-century, his first of the season.
Conway's knock enabled the Super Kings to reverse their fortunes after a challenging week on the road, during which they lost three consecutive matches. The left-handed Joburg-born batter smashed 11 fours and three sixes on his way to the match-winning 76-not-out.
Wihan Lubbe proved to be the perfect partner to Conway, rotating the strike with ease and finishing unbeaten on 25 runs, helping the hosts successfully chase down a 119-run target in just 14 overs.
The fast bowlers were instrumental in setting up the victory, with Lutho Sipamla leading the charge with the new ball alongside his teammate Hardus Viljoen.
Sipamla struck with the very first ball of the match, dismissing Zak Crawley for a duck, just as he had done in Gqeberha on Friday. This time, the 26-year-old ensured his front foot was behind the line, providing the hosts with a dream start to the game.
Sipamla made an immediate impact again in the same over, accounting for Tom Abell (0) as he produced a remarkable double-wicket maiden. At the Golf Course end, Viljoen matched Sipamla's intensity, squeezing the life out of the visiting batting unit with precision in both lines and lengths.
By the end of the first powerplay, Sipamla (3/13) and Viljoen had reduced the visitors to four wickets down, with only 34 runs on the board.
In the Sunrisers' camp, the fightback came from David Bedingham and Tristan Stubbs. The duo absorbed the pressure imposed by the Super Kings bowling attack and eventually constructed a 57-run partnership. Just when Bedingham seemed poised for his maiden SA20 half-century, he was dismissed for a well-played 48, which included seven boundaries.
Despite a steady 41-run partnership between Stubbs (37) and Marco Jansen (22), the Super Kings managed to bundle the visitors out for 118 runs, with bowlers Viljoen (4/24) and Matheesha Pathirana (1/26) claiming five wickets in just eight balls.