Exactly one month before winning the inaugural Betway SA20 title, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape started their SA20 campaign with a 23-run loss against the Pretoria Capitals. Two days later, they lost by 37 runs to the same opposition.

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape finished third on the log after the round-robin phase while Pretoria Capitals were at the summit. But when it mattered most, when the trophy was on the line, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape soared the highest.

The Gqeberha-based side made all the big plays and were composed in the big moments to defeat the table-toppers by four wickets on Sunday, 12 February, to clinch the SA20 title in front of a packed Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, which has a capacity of 22,000 people. 

“I’m very proud,”  Sunrisers captain Aiden Markam said after the match. “We had a bit of a tough start to the competition. To bounce back the way we did was great.”

Roelof “The Bulldog” van der Merwe was at his vintage best in guiding the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the historic victory. The wily 38-year-old stemmed the Capitals’ flow of run by taking four crucial wickets and only conceding 31 runs in his four overs. 

His off-breaks turned square and left a few Capitals’ batters with perplexed expressions when the ball gripped and turned after missing their bats.

The Pretoria Capitals were eventually bundled out for 135 after 19.3 overs, a score that was never going to be enough to bother the powerful Sunrisers batting lineup.

Opening batter Adam Rossington made the load easier by breaking the back of the Sunrisers chase to victory by smashing a stunning 57 off 30 deliveries.

Brydon Carse of Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Marco Jansen of Sunrisers Eastern Cape celebrate the win during the Betway SA20 final match between Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape at Wanderers Stadium on 12 February 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo: SA20 / Sportzpics / Gallo Images)

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Bowling first

Markram won the toss and opted to bowl. The skipper summed up conditions quickly and incisively as he brought on Van der Merwe, his experienced left-arm tweaker, as early as the third over to help spin a web around the Capitals batters.

Markram brought himself on too, to exceptional effect, completing his quota of four overs while only conceding 17 runs. The skipper also picked up the vital wicket of Capitals’ Sri Lankan opener Kusal Mendis.

The superb bowling of the duo of spinners as well as two crucial wickets by Ottniel Baartman meant the Pretoria Capitals could never really get going.

Six players in the Capitals lineup reached double figures but none could kick on. Only Mendis scored more than 20 runs.

Rilee Rossouw had a promising stint at the crease, sweeping and reverse sweeping Van der Merwe for three consecutive boundaries off the first three deliveries he faced.

But once Rossouw was dismissed by Sisanda Magala, the rest of the Capitals batters looked to go into survival mode as they crept up to 135.

The chase

The match was postponed from Saturday to the reserve day on Sunday because of incessant rainfall. But Rossington’s bat made sure the rain continued pouring on Sunday – this time, in the form of sixes.

The English wicketkeeper/batter bludgeoned five massive maximums – more than the entire Pretoria Capitals side.

The opener was particularly brutal in the final over of the powerplay, smashing Migael Pretorius for 26 runs, striking three colossal sixes and two fours in the six balls he faced.

From then on, the Capitals were playing catch-up, trying to stem the runs by picking up regular wickets.

They were unsuccessful until the final over of the powerplay when 21-year-old Jordan Hermann ran past an Adil Rashid delivery and was stumped for 22 runs.

Hermann and Rossington put on a match-high partnership of 67 off only 32 deliveries, although most of the destruction was done by Rossington’s willow.

Markram made a neatly compiled 26 off 19 deliveries but was unable to take his team home after Rossington was dismissed by an Anrich Nortje peach.

There was a bit of a stumble to the finish line as Tristan Stubbs and Jordan Cox fell shortly after for five and seven respectively.

But the ever-reliable Marco Jansen came to the crease and struck a four through cover and a six over long-off in consecutive deliveries off the bowling of James Neesham to nonchalantly win the title for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

It was apt for young Jansen – who has pulled his team out of fire a couple of times this season – to hit the winning runs. DM