The Joburg Super Kings, despite having one of the best batting line-ups on paper, are finding the going much tougher in the SA20. | ✍️ Avuyile Sawula

Joburg Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming has admitted that his side is short on confidence after succumbing to a 7-wicket defeat in the SA20 against MI Cape Town at Newlands on Saturday.

The Joburg side went into the game on the back of a 7-wicket loss against the Paarl Royals on Friday, where Fleming’s side collapsed to a shocking 81 all out, something they were hoping to rectify and get their tournament back on track in Cape Town.

However, it was a similar show to the one in Paarl for Fleming’s side, as they were restricted to 105 by MI Cape Town.

A second batting collapse in as many days meant that Leus du Plooy’s knock of 21 was the highest score, revealing cracks in a batting line-up that’s underperforming.

“Today was a tough track, and we were a little low on confidence,” said Fleming.

“We’re a team playing its third game away from home – right now we’re pretty cold, and when things aren’t going your way, you can get exposed pretty quickly, and again today, we would’ve loved to bowl first, and get a bit of confidence and belief.”

Fleming, who was also impressed with his team’s bowling attack, admitted to a lack of time with his team and stated that they intend to use their home games to rebuild confidence.

“We haven’t had much time as a team, and we’re just down a little bit on confidence,” he said.

“I’ve got a lot of players in this group that are used to batting up north, so I look forward to getting them up there.”

“The group is on a steep curve. We’re pretty happy with winning one match away from home, but it’s a tough way to start when you’re forming your team, and we look forward to going home and getting a little bit of confidence back.”

The 42-year-old was also critical of the Newlands pitch as it was the third match played at the ground.

“I’ll be a little more critical of conditions, you’ve got a full house, and it’s the third game in a row on that track; come on, if you want a spectacle, give us a chance,” he said.

Looking ahead, JSK will face the Pretoria Capitals in Durban on Tuesday. Fleming says his side needs to mourn Saturday’s defeat and move on to the next one.

“We can’t retreat,” he said.

“Sometimes you can get a little obsessed with your form and not perform; we don’t have time for that.”

He added: “In cricket, you get a period where you mourn your innings for two or three days, then you get back to it. When you are travelling, you don’t have time for that luxury, so you almost purge it and move on.”

The Joburg Super Kings will face the Pretoria Capitals at Kingsmead next Tuesday, at 17:30.