The Sunrisers Eastern Cape delivered a stunning performance on Monday night, pulverizing the Pretoria Capitals by nine wickets and claiming a crucial bonus point. The defending champions dismissed their rivals for a record-low 52 runs, before comfortably chasing down the target with 79 balls remaining.
Early Fireworks, Followed by Capitals’ Collapse:
Despite the rain threatening the match, openers Phil Salt and Will Jacks provided the Capitals with a promising start, reaching 25/0 in the first three overs. However, Dan Worrall’s superb inswinging delivery dismissed Salt, and the wickets began tumbling in rapid succession.
Marco Jansen and Worrall shared four wickets between them, removing Jacks, Rilee Rossouw, and Colin Ingram cheaply. Ottniel Baartman then took over the show, ripping through the Capitals’ middle and lower order with his career-best figures of 4/12.
Sunrisers Cruise to Victory:
The Sunrisers’ chase was briefly threatened by Senuran Muthusamy’s stunning catch to dismiss Dawid Malan. But Jordan Hermann and Tom Abell steadied the ship, guiding their team home with unbeaten knocks of 20 and 31 respectively.
Statement Victory:
This emphatic win propelled the Sunrisers to second place in the SA20 table, just three points behind the leaders Paarl Royals. The performance showcased their dominance and sent a strong message to the rest of the competition.
