SA20 Season 3: Pretoria Capitals Deal Eastern Cape Another Bonus-Point Loss
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Synopsis
In a thrilling encounter, the Pretoria Capitals secured a six-wicket triumph over the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, marking their second bonus-point defeat of SA20 Season 3. A stellar bowling performance laid the groundwork for this victory, showcasing the Capitals' resilience against the defending champions.
Key Takeaways
- Strong bowling display from Pretoria Capitals.
- Eastern Cape struggled to post a competitive score.
- Key partnerships crucial for Capitals' victory.
- Capitals' captain praised players for their performance.
- Sunrisers captain acknowledged need for improvement.
Centurion, January 4 (NationPress) A remarkable bowling display enabled the Pretoria Capitals to inflict a second bonus-point defeat on the Sunrisers Eastern Cape during SA20 Season 3, securing a six-wicket victory on Tuesday.
The Capitals' skipper, Rilee Rossouw, won the toss at Centurion and opted to bowl against the struggling back-to-back champions. This decision quickly paid off as the men in orange stumbled to 4/3 within two overs before reaching 50/6. A rescue effort from Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer created a substantial partnership. Jansen (51 runs from 35 deliveries, including 4 fours and 3 sixes) was instrumental in their 40-run collaboration, but once Harmer was dismissed by fellow spinner Senuran Muthusamy, the end was imminent, culminating in a total of just 113 runs, which was underwhelming even for a challenging Centurion pitch.
The Capitals started their innings steadily, with Will Jacks scoring 27 off 23 balls. However, after losing his wicket along with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Kyle Verreynne, and Rossouw, they found themselves at 61/4 in the ninth over, which gave the Sunrisers a glimmer of hope. Nevertheless, an unbroken 55-run partnership between Liam Livingstone (14 not out, 1 four) and Marques Ackerman (39 not out, 2 fours, 2 sixes) propelled the Capitals forward, with Ackerman sealing the bonus point with a six off the last ball of the 16th over.
Captain Rilee Rossouw praised Livingstone and Ackerman for their crucial contributions. 'We had a great start with the ball. The experience of Livingstone towards the end and Ackerman's excellent innings helped us cross the line. On a difficult pitch, we aimed to take the match as deep as we could, and they executed it perfectly to secure the bonus point,' he remarked.
Aiden Markram, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain, acknowledged significant room for improvement for the two-time defending champions.
'I would like to believe we are a better team than that. I won’t blame the toss. We have ample room for improvement with the bat. Our bowlers showed some positive signs. It wasn’t our best day,' he stated.
When questioned about his team’s struggles, Markram reflected, 'It's quite challenging to pinpoint that now. It’s likely a case of T20 matches coming thick and fast. Searching for form while facing continuous games can be tough. We have talented players, and I hope we can deliver soon. I prefer not to give directives but rather encourage players to be their best selves. If we start strong, we can achieve good scores – those fundamentals remain crucial. We will never give up, and hopefully, we can begin playing commendable cricket,' said the former South African white-ball captain.
