South Africa T20 League

2nd Semi-Final: JSK vs SEC

Preview

After an exciting first Semi-final of the Inaugural South Africa T20 League, the second Semi-final will be played between JSK and SEC in SuperSport Park, Centurion, on Thursday 9th February 2023 at 09:00 PM IST. JSK finished second in the league stage with six wins and three losses with 27 points, followed by SEC with 19 points with four wins. 

Keeping aside that NR game against PR, JSK won the last four straight games. They are hereafter beating MICT by 76 runs. Leus Du Plooy (81 in 48 balls) and Matthew Wade’s quick 40 in 18 balls helped JSK to get a competitive total with the finishing touches of Donavon Ferreira (19), Kyle Simmonds (13), and Romario Shephard (15). Skipper Faf will be very impressed with his team’s performance as they won the game despite the failure of his own and Hendricks, who both got out on duck.

The Bowling side did their job well in the last game as they restricted a team like MIE to just 113 runs. Kyle Simmonds and Gerald Coetzee picked three wickets each, Maheesh Theekshana got two, and Lizaad Williams and Devanon Ferriera got one wicket.

The Group stage was average for SEC. They lost two out of the last three matches (The game against DSG finished as NR). SEC is hereafter losing against the same opponent (JSK) in the previous game they played. However, on a good pitch of Wanderers, SEC managed to restrict JSK to a mediocre total of 160. Bowlers did well in that game, especially Sisanda Magala and Skipper Markram, who got two wickets each and stayed economical.

South Africa’s ODI Captian Temba Bavuma scored a 50 but didn’t get enough support from the other end. SEC Captain Markram tried to do some damage control but was unable to do for long and got out on a score of 34.

SEC will seek to calm JSK’s lead Faf Du Plessis, as he scored a thunderous 92 against them in the last game, which cost them match. This will be a mouthwatering clash, and the winner will face PC in the final of the inaugural edition of the South Africa T20 League.

Match Details

Match: JSK vs SEC, 2nd Semi-Final, South Africa T20 League

Date: Thursday, February 09, 2023

Time: 09:00 PM

Venue: SuperSport Park, Centurion

Pitch & Weather Report 

It is one of South Africa's quickest wickets, where fast bowlers have succeeded with the new ball. However, it will be difficult to bat on this track, with the forecast calling for further cloudiness. The weather will revolve around 23℃ and 16℃ with a wind speed of 15 km/h in the southeast direction. On this wicket, we anticipate the team winning the toss to bowl first and attempting to take advantage of the early surface.

Since it has been raining for a few days at this location, quick bowlers will benefit from the pitch's little moisture. However, Batsmen can use their strokes, and recent matches have seen high-scoring totals. To win this game, the team batting first will look to score 180 runs.

JSK vs SEC Squads

JSK: Faf du Plessis (c), Reeza Hendricks, Leus du Plooy, Sibonelo Makhanya, Matthew Wade (wk), Donavon Ferreira, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, Kyle Simmonds, Maheesh Theekshana, Neil Brand, Alzarri Joseph, Caleb Seleka, Janneman Malan, Aaron Phangiso, Lewis Gregory, Lizaad Williams, Kyle Verreynne, Malusi Siboto, George Garton

SEC: Adam Rossington (wk), Jordan Hermann, Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram (c), JJ Smuts, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Sisanda Magala, Roelof van der Merwe, Brydon Carse, Ottniel Baartman, James Fuller, Sarel Erwee, Marques Ackerman, Junaid Dawood, Jordan Cox, Ayabulela Gqamane, Mason Crane

JSK vs SEC Probable XIs

JSK: Faf du Plessis (c), Reeza Hendricks, Leus du Plooy, Sibonelo Makhanya, Matthew Wade (wk), Donavon Ferreira, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee, Kyle Simmonds, Lizaad Williams, Maheesh Theekshana

SEC: Aiden Markram (c), Adam Rossington (wk), Temba Bavuma, Jordan Hermann, JJ Smuts, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Sisanda Magala, Roelof van der Merwe, Brydon Carse, James Fuller

Match Prediction

The second half of the season has seen SEC's momentum decline. As a result, their batters have a history of needing to be more reliable. Therefore the squad will depend on its top 5 batters to perform well and pose a threat. On the other hand, the batters for the JSK are in excellent form and are scoring runs. Consequently, they started this game as the favorites since they had twice beaten Eastern Cape during the league stage.

JSK to win this game as per their previous record against SEC and the team strength.

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