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SEASON 3 TEAM-BY-TEAM REVIEW | JOBURG SUPER KINGS
Joburg Super Kings experienced their most challenging Betway SA20 season yet.
The Wanderers-based team were ravaged by injury both before and during the competition.
To compound matters it was all their fast bowlers who were breaking down with Lizaad Williams and Nandre Burger ruled out before the start of the competition.
This became progressively worse with Gerald Coetzee following shortly after playing just one match against Durban’s Super Giants. It was the second successive season Coetzee would play no part for the Super Kings due to injury.
The nightmare was not over yet for coach Stephen Fleming and captain Faf du Plessis with Beuran Hendricks, who was named as a replacement for Burger, and allrounder David Wiese also falling by the wayside.
Fortunately for the Super Kings, they were able to bring in Lutho Sipamla and Hardus Viljoen. Dubbed 'The Replacements', inspired by the Keanu Reeves American Football-themed movie, Sipamla and Viljoen were excellent for JSK with the duo stepping up to fill the breach.
Lutho Sipamla was a late inclusion in the Joburg Super Kings squad but ended up claiming 12 wickets
Viljoen finished as the second leading wicket-taker in the competition - despite playing five matches less - with 14 wickets at an average of 15.86 at an economy rate of 7.93. Sipamla was equally good with 12 wickets at 22.27.
The Super Kings could unfortunately not sustain their challenge with their batting not able to find any form of consistency, especially in the middle order.
They therefore once again fell by the wayside in the playoffs with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape getting the better of them in the knockout stages.
JSK coach Stephen Fleming provided an accurate analysis of his team’s season.
“I think we were hanging on a bit, in terms of our entire season... holding it together with a bit of glue. Each game, we weren’t as accurate as we needed to be,” the Kiwi mentor said.
“We had a chance, but we just sloppy again with the bat. We needed the bigger boys to stand up and get the 75-plus, but we just gave wickets away too easily and too often.
“It’s a pretty simple formula for losing. We were a bit frantic with the bat, and we’ve been looking for calmness... and we were anything but.”
FOR THE RECORD
Betway SA20 Season 3 result: Fourth (4 wins, 5 losses, 1 N/R)
Most runs: Faf du Plessis (225, HS: 64, Ave: 25.0)
Best strike rate (min. 50 runs): Donovan Ferreira (155.23)
Most wickets: Hardus Viljoen (14 at 15.86)
Best economy (min. 10 overs): Donovan Ferreira (5.81)
