Unsettled Super Kings count the cost of injuries in SA20 challenge

Ultimately all the injuries suffered before and during the Betway SA20 caught up with the Joburg Super Kings, leaving Stephen Fleming to reflect on what could have been, but also proud at how the remaining players coped.

The Super Kings’ third campaign ended at the same stage as the previous two — beaten in the playoffs. Wednesday night’s 32-run loss to the Sunrisers Eastern Cape meant the yellow-clad franchise has won just one play-off match, while the three defeats have meant they are yet to play in the final. 

“We’ve come close, but that’s not good enough for this franchise,” coach Fleming said.

The former New Zealand captain also oversees head coaching duties for the other Super Kings teams — the Chennai side has won the IPL (Indian Premier League) five times and Texas has, like Joburg, been to the playoffs in both years of the Major League Cricket tournament, but not reached the final. 

Fleming explained how the number of injuries suffered by Joburg this year was something he’d never endured in working with other teams. “You don’t envisage the amount of change we had — certainly with the squads I’ve worked with before, we haven’t been decimated like this,” he said.

Before the tournament started they had already lost Nandré Burger and Lizaad Williams. Gerald Coetzee only bowled three overs before a groin injury ended his participation, David Wiese had to withdraw as did Beuran Hendricks and before Wednesday’s clash, Donovan Ferreira, who had played a big role with the bat, was laid low with an abdominal strain.

“We were hanging on a little bit ... [kept together] with some wire and a bit of glue with all the injuries we had,” Fleming mused. 

“We weren’t able to settle enough and I take some responsibility, because we are trying to find a team that will take us forward and get the right batting order. There were different conditions in Joburg and at the coast, so you’re chopping and changing. The whole thing just got a little confused.” 

Nevertheless, despite all those issues and how it affected the balance of the starting teams throughout the tournament, Fleming felt the senior batters let the team down. 

“We were frantic today with the bat, we were looking for calmness but were anything but,” he said about the run chase at Centurion, in which the Super Kings fell short of the 185-run target.   

“It was a par score on that surface. We had a chance, but we were just sloppy with the bat again. We needed the bigger boys to stand up and get a 75-plus to lead the way and unfortunately we just gave wickets away too easily and too often.”

Over the course of the competition, only four Super Kings batters made fifties, with skipper Faf du Plessis registering two of the five fifties, a reflection of how they failed to find someone to control an innings on a consistent basis.

Fleming attached no blame to Lutho Sipamla, who conceded the worst figures in this year’s tournament, with 72 runs coming off his four overs on Wednesday. “[He] just had a really tough day at the office, it was a real shame. He has held us together. I was really disappointed for him, because he’s been really good.”

Sipamla, a late call-up for Coetzee, took 12 wickets, and bowled himself into contention for a Proteas place.

“Guys have stepped up and gave us an opportunity today. But the result is a fair reflection of where the team is at and where the other three teams who are still in the playoffs are at,” Fleming said.