NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Eastern Cape secured their fourth consecutive win at St George’s Park, propelling them to second place on the SA20 table with 19 points, just one point behind the table-toppers, Paarl Royals, who have played one game less.
The 14-run victory over the Joburg Super Kings was hard-fought, with the Sunrisers relying heavily on their captain Aiden Markram‘s high-quality 43 from 29 balls and their senior bowler Marco Jansen‘s impressive performance.
Tristan Stubbs‘s return to form with an unbeaten 35 off 22 balls and David Bedingham’s solid 37 contributed to the Sunrisers’ highly competitive total of 165-4.
Joburg Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis acknowledged the Sunrisers’ strong bowling attack and their home advantage, stating that the target score of 160 felt like a good score, but the Sunrisers bowled tightly and applied pressure.
“They have a strong batting line-up. It was there and thereabouts (with regards to a par score). 160, it felt like a good score. They bowled really well,” said JSK captain.
“They bowled some tight overs, put pressure back on us. They (SEC) are very successful at home.”
Jansen’s early dismissal of Du Plessis, despite a dropped catch, set the tone for the Sunrisers’ bowling unit, which maintained sustained pressure throughout the innings. Contributions from Richard Gleeson (2/37), Ottneil Baartman (2/32), Liam Dawson (1/10), and Markram (1/21) ensured the Super Kings fell short of the target.
Markram praised his bowling unit’s clarity in their plans, their ability to assess conditions, and their execution, which has been crucial to the Sunrisers’ success in recent matches.
“They (bowling unit) are clear in their plans, have played a lot of T20 cricket. They assess conditions, come up with the plan and then it comes down to execution,” Markram said after the match.
“They have been clutch for us. Even tonight, the game was in the balance, they came up with plans and executed. More often than not, it is the execution by them.”
