ꦡWith the comprehensive win, Sunrisers Eastern Cape have kept their hopes of a third straight title alive. Catch the highlights of the SA20 match
Joburg Super Kings꧂: Devon Conway(w), Faf du Plessis(c), Leus du Plooy, Moeen Ali, Wihan Lubbe, Sibonelo Makhanya, Donovan Ferreira, Hardus Viljoen, Maheesh Theekshana, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lutho Sipamla, JP King, Evan Jones, Matheesha Pathirana, Gerald Coetzee, Beuran Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Doug Bracewell, Jonny Bairstow
Sunrisers Eastern Cape💞: David Bedingham, Tony de Zorzi, Jordan Hermann, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs(w), Tom Abell, Marco Jansen, Liam Dawson, Craig Overton, Ottneil Baartman, Richard Gleeson, Caleb Seleka, Daniel Smith, Andile Simelane, Beyers Swanepoel, Roelof van der Merwe, Simon Harmer, Okuhle Cele, Zak Crawley
ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚJoburg Super Kings have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Joburg Super Kings:💝 Faf du Plessis(c), Devon Conway(w), Wihan Lubbe, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, JP King, Evan Jones, Hardus Viljoen, Maheesh Theekshana, Imran Tahir, Lutho Sipamla
Sunrisers Eastern Cape:ꦇ Tony de Zorzi, David Bedingham, Jordan Hermann, Tom Abell, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs(w), Marco Jansen, Liam Dawson, Craig Overton, Ottneil Baartman, Richard Gleeson
☂The first over, sent down by Lutho Sipamla, goes for 12 runs. David Bedingham smacks a first-ball four through point, and hits another boundary off the third delivery to get the Sunrisers Eastern Cape off to a bright beginning.
SEC 12/0 in 1 over
After plundering runs at a rapid rate in the first three overs, both Eastern Cape openers, David Bedingham and Tony de Zorzi, have been dismissed, and Tom Abell follows suit. As expected, Super Kings' spin trio of Maheesh Theekshana, Imran Tahir and Moeen Ali 🦂are making life difficult for batters and all three have struck to peg back the Sunrisers considerably.
SEC 69/3 in 7.5 overs
Hardus Viljoen picks up a wicket too. He has Jordan Hermann caught at midwicket to leave Eastern Cape four down. Captain Aiden Markram 🃏is currently in the middle alongside Tristan Stubbs, and the duo has a job to do if the Sunrisers are to post a competitive total.
SEC 92/4 in 12 overs
After four wickets in no time, Eastern Cape finally found a partnership. It was the South Africa internationals Tristan Stubbs ꩵand Aiden Markram who rebuilt the innings, stitching together a 56-run partnership to bring the Sunrisers back on track. But Imran Tahir returns to the attack and strikes immediately, dislodging Stubbs in the 17th over.
SEC 132/5 in 16.1 overs
Aiden Markram stays unbeaten on 63 off 40 balls. The Eastern Cape skipper anchors his team's innings, and along with Marco Jansen 🎃who smashed 23 off 12 balls at the death, has taken the Sunrisers to a 184-run total. Will it be enough? We shall find out soon.
♐Joburg Super Kings openers Devon Conway and Faf du Plessis are in the middle and have begun their pursuit of Sunrisers Eastern Cape's 185-run target. Conway gets off the mark with a delightful off-drive against Craig Overton, but the Englishman bowls a tidy first over nevertheless. Six runs off it.
ꦜMarco Jansen dismisses dangerman Devon Conway, just when he was looking like swinging the game Super Kings' way. Conway departs for 30 off 20, and JP King joins Faf du Plessis at the crease. Joburg end up with 49 runs for the loss of Conway's wicket in the powerplay.
JSK 49/1 in 6 overs
ꦗThe Eastern Cape bowlers have choked the run flow. Ottneil Baartman has had Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis caught by his opposite number Aiden Markram, and things have got tougher for Joburg since. Their asking rate is now close to 12, and Jonny Bairstow (15 not out off eight) appears to be their prime hope of a comeback win.
෴SEC have tightened the noose. Their bowlers have stuck to their guns and reaped the rewards for it. Jonny Bairstow is the sixth wicket to fall, Liam Dawson beating his attempted reverse-sweep with a yorker to clean the Englishman up. Super Kings looks out of it now, barring a miracle.
𒆙And that's that. The Super Kings innings sputters to a tame end, as they can only muster 152 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their 20 overs. Two-time defending champions Eastern Cape are through to Qualifier 2, while the Joburg team loses to the same opponents that prevailed over them in Qualifier 2 in 2023.