The Joburg Super Kings have shown strength of character, according to in-form batter Leus du Plooy, after sneaking into the SA20 playoffs.
In their penultimate match of the league stage, the Super Kings had the Pretoria Capitals against the ropes at 7/5 in the fifth over of their innings, but the Capitals fought back to win the game by 21 runs.
Needing to bounce back and win their last round-robin clash against the Paarl Royals at Boland Park on Monday in order to progress to the knockout rounds, the Super Kings held their nerve to earn a convincing 45-run victory.
Though regular captain Faf du Plessis had been ruled out of the tournament after picking up a thumb injury while fielding earlier this month, Du Plooy said the experienced skipper had spoken to the team before the crunch fixture, which had helped give them a boost.
“That (bouncing back under pressure) shows great character, and certainly at this time of the tournament that’s what you need,” said Du Plooy, who was named Player of the Match after top-scoring for the Joburg side with an unbeaten 54 runs off 27 balls.
“We were lucky enough to have Faf in the team room giving us a motivational speech before, and he talked a lot about character, and I thought the guys showed that very well today, especially after what happened (against the Capitals).”
Calm under pressure
Du Plooy, who had been called up as a replacement for Du Plessis, also credited Super Kings mental performance coach David Reid for helping the players stay calm on the field.
“A guy like David Reid in our camp plays a big role there. He speaks a lot about staying in the moment and how we do it,” Du Plooy said.
“He talks a lot about breathing and trying to get your heart-rate down because then you make clear decisions… and you can still fail, but you give yourself the best chance to perform.”
Having finished fourth in the first-round standings, the Super Kings will face the Royals, who ended third, in an eliminator play-off in Centurion tomorrow.
The winning team will progress to a qualifier play-off on Friday against either Sunrisers Eastern Cape or Pretoria Capitals, and the losing side will be knocked out of the competition.
