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This win keeps SEC alive in the competition as they will now face Paarl Royals, who lost to MI Cape Town in the Qualifier 1 a day earlier at Port Elizabeth, while Faf du Plessis-led JSK’s campaign comes to an end.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape will take on Paarl Royals next for a place in the final. (Sportzpics)
Batting has not been the two-time SA20 defending champions – Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s – strongest this year, but when it mattered the most skipper Aiden Markram lead from the front before the bowlers managed to strangle a very formidable Joburg Super Kings batting line-up at the Supersport Park, Centurion in the Eliminator on Wednesday.
At the Highveld, this time of the year, a score of 184 is defendable one, but SEC would have wanted to add a few more for cushion, but as it would have it, it proved enough for the likes of Craig Overton, Marco Jansen and Ottnell Baartman to restrict the JSK to 152/7.
This win keeps SEC alive in the competition as they will now face Paarl Royals, who lost to MI Cape Town in the Qualifier 1 a day earlier at Port Elizabeth, while Faf du Plessis-led JSK’s campaign comes to an end.
Having opted to bowl first, JSK were in for a pasting when SEC openers David Bedingham and Toni de Zorzi sped off to flier with 46 run-stand inside the first four overs, but with spinner Imran Tahir and Maheesh Theekshana operating in tandem very early into the innings, JSK fought. From 46/0 in 3.1 overs, SEC found themselves in a spot of bother at 75/4 by the ninth over. Theekshana accounted for de Zorzi for 14, before du Plessis took a stunner off Tahir to remove Bedingham for 27 off 14.
Moeen Ali chipped in with the wicket of Tom Abell for 10 off 10 and Hardus Viljoen added Jordan Hermann’s scalp, who made just 12. However, with their aces still up their sleeves, SEC breathed fire in the second half, with their best player of the tournament, Markram directing traffic in the middle. He was ably supported by Tristian Stubbs (26 off 21) and Marco Jansen (23 off 12) as the SEC ransacked 75 runs in the last five overs, including a 29-run 19th over bowled by speedster Lutho Sipamla.
The 26-year-old spell of 4-0-72-0 is now the most expensive in the SA20 history.
In reply, JSK would have hoped for a breezy start, and Devon Conway and du Plessis did exactly that, putting 40 on the board in the first five overs. However, Jansen got the crucial breakthrough against the run of play with the wicket of Conway for 30 off 20. Conway looked in red hot as he had clobbered Jack Gleeson for three straight boundaries an over prior.
Three overs later, Du Plessis’ flat batted swat found the hands of his counterpart Markram to had Baartman a vital wicket. Liam Dawson added JP Kinmg’s wicket a ball later and by the 10th over, JSK were behind the right-ball, requiring over 11 run per over, with their batting might already in the hut.
Even though Jonny Bairstow tried to keep JSK in the fight with a spitfire innings of 30 off just 17 deliveries, Ali’s four-ball duck proved costly for the Super Kings. And when Bairstow departed in the 15th over to Dawson, the game was done JSK. Evan Jones remained unbeaten off 22 off 17 balls as JSK managed 152/7 in their 20 overs, losing the match by 32 runs.
Brief Scores: Sunrisers Eastern Cape 184/6 (Aiden /Markram 62*, David Bedingham 27; Imran Tahir 2/21) beat Joburg Super Kings 152/7 (Jonny Bairstow 37, Devon Conway 30; Craig Overton 2/20) by 32 runs.
- Location :
Centurion (South Africa)
