Jozi Stars were crowned kings of the first Mzansi Super League (MSL) on Sunday after beating Cape Town Blitz by eight wickets at Newlands on Sunday.
The Cape Town-based side simply didn’t pitch up for the decider at Newlands and after winning the toss and deciding to bat first, they were limited to just 113/7.
With star batsman Quinton de Kock (5) losing his wicket early, Blitz were soft in the middle and lost wickets regularly.
De Kock, who finished the tournament second to Stars’ Rassie van der Dussen in terms of runs scored, admits that their batsmen didn’t come to the party.
He says: “I knew that I was probably one of the main leaders in the batting department.
“I had to lead from the front and do the job as best as I can, it was unfortunate that the other batters didn’t come to the party as much as they would have liked to.
“It’s not like we’re not trying to do well, I’m sure the boys tried their heart out every game. But it’s cricket, it doesn’t always go well for you.”
Stars captain Dane Vilas, whose team chased down the winning score with eight wickets left, says their bowling - especially up front - was key to their success in the tournament.
Vilas explains: “Taking wickets up front, the way our bowlers bowled in the power play was key to our success.”
He had special praise for Proteas Reeza Hendricks and Kagiso Rabada, who returned from Australia with the national team to help the Stars lift the cup.
Vilas adds: “KG [Rabada] is one of the best bowlers in the world.
“Having him in your ranks is going to help you a huge amount.
‘The form Reeza [Hendricks] was in was massive. It’s really good that the guys when they came back, added value.”