SA20 [WATCH]: JJ Smuts falls victim to Aiden Markram’s gravity-defying one-handed catch in Qualifier 1 – DSG vs SEC

In the ongoing SA20 season, players have showcased remarkable catches, but Aiden Markram took it a notch higher in the Qualifier 1 game between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Durban Super Giants at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday. His sensational one-handed catch to dismiss JJ Smuts left everyone in awe, elevating the standard of catches witnessed in the tournament.

Durban Super Giants’ powerplay woes in Qualifier 1

In pursuit of the 158-run target, the Super Giants faced an early setback as opener Tony de Zorzi (2) fell to a short and swift delivery by Marco Jensen. The focus then shifted to Quinton de Kock and Matthew Breetzke (3) to propel the DSG innings during the powerplay. However, Breetzke, renowned for his aggressive batting, couldn’t ignite fireworks this time and was dismissed in the fourth over.

Aiden Markram’s aerial marvel leads to JJ Smuts dismissal

The Super Giants suffered another setback as Smuts became the prey of Ottniel Baartman, dismissed through a phenomenal mid-air catch by Markram. Baartman delivered a short-length ball, and Smuts mistimed his shot towards mid-on, where Markram strategically positioned himself. In a swift move, Markram shifted to the left, leaped in the air, and secured a one-handed catch to dismiss Smuts. The entire crowd at the stadium was left in awe by the Sunrisers’ captain acrobatics on the field.

Here’s the video:

𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝, 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞.. 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧. 🦸‍♂️#Betway #SA20 #Playoffs #SECvDSG #WelcomeToIncredible pic.twitter.com/WFz4dZJvPW

— Betway SA20 (@SA20_League) February 6, 2024

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Super Giants in shambles against Sunrisers Eastern Cape

This led to the Super Giants being reduced to 13/3 after 3.5 overs. A brief partnership between De Kock and Wiaan Mulder (38) followed, but it progressed too slowly, and the former’s painstaking knock of 20 runs in 23 balls concluded in the 11th over with just 57 runs on the board.

This left a challenging task for Heinrich Klaasen in the death overs. DSG eventually crumbled under pressure, managing only 106 runs before getting bundled out in the final over and losing the contest by 51 runs. Jansen and Baartman were the primary architects of their downfall, sharing eight wickets equally and propelling the Sunrisers into the final.

Sunrisers’ batting resilience

Earlier, after opting to bat first, the Sunrisers started slowly as their openers added just 45 runs in the powerplay. Nevertheless, Dawid Malan capitalized on his start, scoring 63 runs off 45 balls, while skipper Markram contributed 30 runs. The rest of the batters got out fairly quickly, but they still managed to post a fighting total of 157 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their 20 overs.

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