MI Cape Town coach Robin Peterson is not a happy chappy after his side’s 10-wicket SA20 defeat to Joburg Super Kings at Newlands on Monday night.
Rain played a big part in the clash and ultimately had an impact on the result which left MI CT at the bottom of the log with only two matches to play before the playoffs.
The drama unfolded when rain bucketed down at the start of the sixth over of MI Cape Town’s innings. They were on 43/1 and after a helse delay, the match was reduced to eight overs.
Captain Kieron Pollard then blasted 33 off 10 balls to help his team to 80/3 at the end of eight overs, with the Kings being given a revised Duckworth/Lewis (D/L) target of 98.
Faf du Plessis (50* off 20) and Leus du Plooy (41* off 14) had no chill at the start of the innings, but then the heavens opened again in the third over.
But the umpires decided to push on and that decision is not sitting well with Peterson.
Asked if the match should have been called off, Peterson says: “Ultimately when you play a game of cricket you want a fair contest, was it one? I’m not so sure, that’s for people to decide.
“Obviously our boys tried hard, they bowled with a wet ball for eight overs in the rain for four of those overs towards the back-end.
“It’s a hard one to take because you feel that you were hard done-by, but that’s cricket…”
He adds of a possible D/L system fix: “Maybe it would have been fair to say you can score 97, but you’ve only got four wickets in hand…”
MI CT next face Pretoria Capitals in a double header – the first of those at Centurion Park tomorrow night.