SA20: Sunrisers Eastern Cape Regain Form at Kingsmead
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Synopsis
The Sunrisers Eastern Cape marked their return to form with a convincing 58-run victory over the Durban Super Giants at Kingsmead. The match showcased strong performances from both batters and bowlers, with Aiden Markram's men eager to turn around their SA 20 Season 3 fortunes after previous defeats.
Key Takeaways
- Sunrisers Eastern Cape secured a 58-run victory.
- Aiden Markram's leadership proved effective.
- Strong contributions from Zak Crawley and Tom Abell.
- Effective spin bowling by Liam Dawson and Simon Harmer.
- The Super Giants struggled to recover after a run-out.
Durban, Jan 18 (NationPress) The Sunrisers Eastern Cape have made a triumphant return, achieving a 58-run bonus victory against Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead. As the defending champions, they were eager to revive their SA 20 Season 3 journey after facing three consecutive losses.
Aiden Markram’s squad answered the call from their captain with a significantly enhanced batting display after he won the toss and chose to bat first.
England's Zak Crawley set the pace early on with a brisk 34 runs off 29 balls, while compatriot Tom Abell built on this with a solid 57 runs off 39 balls (5 fours), keeping the momentum going through the middle overs.
Marco Jansen, fresh from scoring a half-century in the previous game, added a late surge with an impressive 36 not out from 26 balls. He forged an unbroken partnership worth 24 runs off 13 balls with Tristan Stubbs, who contributed 15 not out off eight balls, propelling the Sunrisers to a commendable total of 165/5.
Mystery spinner Noor Ahmad was the standout bowler for the Super Giants, finishing with figures of 4 wickets for 24 runs.
The response from the Super Giants began positively with Bryce Parsons and Matthew Breetzke adding 40 runs for the first wicket. However, a disastrous mix-up resulted in Parsons being run out after scoring 23 runs off 21 balls.
From that point, the Super Giants struggled to regain momentum as left-arm spinner Liam Dawson effectively exploited the spin-friendly conditions at Kingsmead. The experienced English bowler dismissed Kane Williamson (3) caught and bowled, before trapping Breetzke (21) in front, concluding with impressive figures of 2 wickets for 18 runs in his four overs.
Dawson received valuable support from fellow spinner Simon Harmer, who claimed the crucial wicket of Season MVP Heinrich Klaasen for just one run.
Despite a few dropped catches that delayed the inevitable, the seamers from the Sunrisers concluded a superb bowling display, with Richard Gleeson and Ottneil Baartman each taking two wickets, ultimately dismissing the Super Giants for a mere 107.
The two teams are set to clash again in a rematch at St George’s Park on Sunday.
