Sunrisers Eastern Cape Stamp Authority To Reach Fourth SA20 Final In A Row
Four finals in a row - which, in SA20's case, is its entire lifetime so far - speaks volumes of domination unlike any other team. Sunrisers Eastern Cape is now a proud holder of that distinction
Four finals in a row - which, in SA20's case, is its entire lifetime so far - speaks volumes of domination unlike any other team. Sunrisers Eastern Cape is now a proud holder of that distinction. Already the most successful team in SA20, with two titles and one runner-up finish, the Sunrisers now have a chance to win their third title on Sunday. Pretoria Capitals, the first entrants to the SA20 Season 4 final, have every reason to be extra wary after the way the Sunrisers knocked out Paarl Royals in Qualifier 2 at the Wanderers on Friday.
First up was the bowling, which restricted the Royals to only 114/7 in 20 overs. The Sunrisers chased down the target in just 11.4 overs.
A bowling line-up featuring Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen is intimidating; add to that a wily spinner in Senuran Muthusamy, and you have three of the top-10 wicket-takers of SA20 Season 4.
After the Royals won the toss and opted to bat, the Sunrisers' plan began to unfold. Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, and Anrich Nortje combined to restrict the Royals to just 30/2 in the first five overs. Sipamla removed Lhuan-dré Pretorius, while Nortje got the better of Rubin Hermann.
From the sixth over onward, the Sunrisers introduced two left-arm spinners - James Coles and Senuran Muthusamy - and the Royals were in shackles. Across seven overs (from the 6th to the 12th), the Royals managed only 17 runs. Not a single boundary was scored.
It wasn't until Kyle Verreynne slammed a maximum off Coles in the 13th that the Royals showed some initiative. By then, they were already four down. Sikandar Raza and Verreynne attempted a fightback, but a two-wicket 15th over by Muthusamy proved too big a blow. Verreynne waged a lone battle to stay unbeaten on 52*, but he couldn't lift the Royals to a run-a-ball total.
In the chase, barring a double-wicket third over from Bjorn Fortuin, there were no further hiccups for the Sunrisers as they won with seven wickets to spare.
Quinton de Kock