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Sunrisers remain on course for three-peat

cricket05 February 2025 19:51| © MWP
By:Patrick Compton
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Sunrisers Eastern Cape cruised to victory by 32 runs in the Eliminator against Joburg Super Kings at Centurion on Wednesday night, thereby remaining on course for a three-peat of titles in the Betway SA20.

Sunrisers have little time to digest this win as they now move on to the second qualifier at the same venue on Thursday, this time against the Paarl Royals, with the winner facing MI Cape Town in the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday.

“We haven’t put together a complete performance in this competition, but tonight we came a little closer to doing that,” said Sunrisers’ skipper Aiden Markram after the game.

“Our bowlers were again incredible and our batting improved. It’s good that we don’t have travel problems for our game tomorrow and it’s a help that we have the experience of playing a game here on the same pitch.”

Sunrisers, put in to bat by the Super Kings, compiled a challenging 184-6, thanks largely to an unbeaten 63 in 40 balls by Markram.

The Super Kings never really got to grips with this target, finally finishing on 152-7.

While the Super Kings made full use of their spin component, with Imran Tahir putting in a starring performance with 2-21 in his four overs, the Sunrisers relied more on their pace attack with Craig Overton (2-20) and Ottneil Baartman (2-25) leading the plaudits with good support from Marco Jansen (1-31).

Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson also played a valuable role, claiming the key wicket of Jonny Bairstow for 37 when the former England batter was poised to lead a late assault.

Jansen and Baartman made the initial breakthroughs when the former had Devon Conway caught behind after a fast start (30 in 20 balls) while the latter captured the key wicket of skipper Faf du Plessis, caught at long-off by his opposite number, Markram, for just 19.

Wickets fell regularly after that and it was only Bairstow who threatened the possibility of a surprise when he struck three fours and three sixes in his 17-ball innings.

But having plundered two sixes and a four in Dawson’s final over, his reverse-sweep was penetrated by a fast yorker that knocked back his off-stump.

A CAPTAIN'S KNOCK FROM MARKRAM

Earlier, Markram struck an unbeaten 63 in 40 balls, including five fours and two sixes, as he helped his team recover from a stutter in mid-innings after they got a rocket start of 46 in 22 balls from openers David Bedingham (27 off 14 balls) and Tony de Zorzi.

Super Kings’ skipper Du Plessis quickly saw that, unusually, pace wasn’t working at Centurion as fast bowler Lutho Sipamla went for 33 off his first two overs.

Changing tactics, Du Plessis brought on mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana and Tahir during the powerplay and the pair responded by claiming the scalps of both batters.

On a two-paced pitch that encouraged some turn and “stick” in the surface, the tone of the innings changed.

First Theekshana bowled De Zorzi and then Tahir, with his first ball, had Bedingham (27 off 14 balls) brilliantly caught by Du Plessis at mid-off as he tried to drive the ball over his head.

It was a 85-year-old combo (Tahir 45, Du Plessis 40) that resulted in a huge wicket for the Super Kings.

Jordan Hermann and Tom Abell then fell cheaply to Hardus Viljoen and Moeen Ali respectively to leave SEC struggling on 75 for four at the end of the ninth over and it required a rescue job from Markram and Tristan Stubbs to help Sunrisers to reassert themselves.

The pair added a solid 56 off 43 balls to set up the innings for a blazing finale.

Stubbs played the shot of the innings, a reverse scoop off Viljoen for six, before perishing in the deep off the first ball of Tahir’s final over.

That seemed a major blow for the batting team, but Jansen and Markram ensured a destructive finish, slamming 53 off 25 balls to ensure a challenging total.

In all, 47 came off the last three overs with Sipamla – so good in the tournament up to now – going for an expensive 72 off his four overs.

Tahir, however, claimed the excellent figures of 2-21 and was well backed up in the spin department by Moeen (1-19) and Theekshana (1-29).

Of the pacemen, Viljoen was the most impressive, bowling with gas to claim 2-37.

SUNRISERS EASTERN CAPE: Tony de Zorzi, David Bedingham, Jordan Hermann, Tom Abell, Aiden Markram (capt), Tristan Stubbs (wk), Marco Jansen, Liam Dawson, Craig Overton, Ottneil Baartman, Richard Gleeson

JOBURG SUPER KINGS: Faf du Plessis (capt), Devon Conway (wk), Wihan Lubbe, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, JP King, Evan Jones, Hardus Viljoen, Maheesh Theekshana, Imran Tahir, Lutho Sipamla

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