In a spectacular turn of events, the Pretoria Capitals were skittled out for a mere 52 runs, marking the lowest total in the brief history of SA20 cricket.
The defending champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, seized a commanding bonus-point victory in Gqeberha, effortlessly chasing down the meager score in just seven overs.
The decision by the hosts to bowl first at St. George’s Park was emphatically justified as the pitch surprisingly offered steep bounce and carry for the fast bowlers. The drama unfolded slowly until the third over’s last ball when Daniel Worrall had Phil Salt edging a back-of-a-length delivery to Tristan Stubbs behind the stumps.
This triggered a domino effect as Will Jacks attempted a pull in the following over, only to glove the ball to the short fine-leg fielder due to disconcerting bounce. Ottniel Baartman (4 for 12) further intensified the Capitals’ misery by dismissing key players, including Colin Ingram, with the off-stump cartwheeling.
With Rilee Rossouw and James Neesham also succumbing to the relentless bowling attack, the Capitals found themselves reeling at 32 for 5. Baartman continued his lethal spell, claiming the wickets of Senuran Muthusamy, Wayne Parnell, and Eathan Bosch to wrap up the Capitals’ innings within 14 overs.
Sunrisers’ chase became a mere formality, despite the early loss of Dawid Malan. Tom Abbell’s aggressive 31-run knock, featuring four fours and a six in just 22 balls, alongside Jordan Hermann, effortlessly steered the Sunrisers to victory in the seventh over. The Pretoria Capitals’ collapse and Sunrisers’ clinical performance made for a gripping and unexpected spectacle in Gqeberha.
Brief scores:
Pretoria Capitals 52 in 13.3 overs (Ottniel Baartman 4-12, Daniel Worrall 3-22) lost to Sunrisers Eastern Cape 54/1 in 6.5 overs (Tom Abell 31*, Jordan Hermann 20*) by 9 wickets
