By Ross Roche.
@SA20.
A fantastic late assault from Sunrisers Eastern Cape allrounder Liam Dawson was not enough as the Pretoria Capitals clinched a thrilling three run win in a low scoring SA20 classic at Supersport Park in Centurion on Thursday night.
Having been set a well below par 126 to win after a superb bowling and fielding performance, the Sunrisers were basically out of the contest on 102/9, needing 24 runs off the final 10 balls to steal an unlikely come from behind result.
Enter Dawson, 29no off 16 balls, as he smoked two of Wayne Parnell’s final three balls of the 19th over midwicket for six to leave them needing 11 off the final over.
Daryn Dupavillon was tasked with the final over and bowled two dot balls before last man Dan Worrall (2no) got the third away for a single, allowing Dawson to smash the fourth over deep point for six to make it four off two, but two fantastic dot balls later saw the Capitals home.
In all it was a top effort from the Capitals bowlers and fielders to defend that low total, with Adil Rashid, 3/30, Parnell, 3/33, and Dupavillon, 2/21, the key wicket takers.
The Sunrisers chase got off to a disastrous start as Adam Rossington (4) was clean bowled trying to scoop Eathan Bosch and Dawid Malan (6) was trapped LBW by Dupavillon leaving them on 10/2 at the start of the fourth over.
In the final over of the powerplay Aiden Markram (3) was caught at mid-off by Parnell off Dupavillon, with them in big trouble on 22/3 after the first six overs.
Jordan Hermann (8) was the next back in the hutch as he hit Rashid straight down the throat of Bosch at long off as they slipped to 32/4.
This brought Patrick Kruger (22) in to join Tristan Stubbs, 35 off 30 balls (3×4, 1×6) and they set about trying to rebuild the innings with a careful 40-run fifth wicket stand, but the run rate continued to climb as the innings went on.
Parnell came in to bowl a superb 15th over, having Kruger caught behind by keeper Phil Salt and new man Marco Jansen caught for a fourth ball duck by Shane Dadswell, with the double wicket maiden reducing the Sunrisers to 72/6.
Stubbs needed to stay to the end, but after slapping Rashid back over his head for six in the 17th over, the next ball he miscued a slot ball to Dadswell at long off, and was followed two balls later by Beyers Swanepoel for a duck, caught at deep midwicket as they fell to 90/8.
Simon Harmer (6) hit the first ball of Parnell’s 19th for four, but edged the second behind to Salt, leaving Dawson to drag his side tantalisingly close to what would have been a famous win.
In the Capitals innings Jansen, 3/27, and Worrall, 2/29, were the key wicket takers for the visitors, while there were also three run outs as the hosts stumbled to 125 all out.
It was a wild start to their innings as boundaries and wickets were the order of the powerplay, during an action packed first six overs.
Salt (20) hammered two sixes straight back over Worrall’s head as 14 came off the first over, while another 14 came off Jansen’s second, but he crucially picked up two wickets as Will Jacks edged behind for a second ball duck and Salt was caught at deep midwicket leaving them on 28/2.
Kyle Verryenne (9) struck a lovely drive through cover off Worrall in the third, but the next ball tried to whip one to the leg side only to edge onto his pads with the ball smashing into the stumps with the score 34/3.
Rilee Rossouw (13) cracked three boundaries, but then went for a quick single, only to be superbly run out by Dawid Malan as they slipped to 47/4.
The final over of the powerplay saw another disastrous run out, this time Dawson with the direct hit to send Colin Ingram (4) on his way leaving the Capitals in deep trouble on 52/5.
Dadswell (24) and Jimmy Neesham (27) looked to revive the Capitals innings with a solid 52-run sixth wicket stand, including hitting a few big overs with 16 off Kruger’s 11th and 12 off Dawson’s 12th.
But having taken the Capitals past the hundred run mark in the 13th over they both fell, sparking another collapse that saw the final five wickets fall for 21 runs.
Pretoria Capitals: Phil Salt(wk), Will Jacks, Kyle Verreynne, Riley Rossouw, Colin Ingram, Shane Dadswell, James Neesham, Wayne Parnell (capt), Ethan Bosch, Adil Rashid, Daryn Dupavillon
Sunrisers Eastern Cape: DawidMalan, Adam Rossington, Jordan Hermann, Aiden Markram (capt), Tristan Stubbs(wk), Liam Dawson, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Bayers Swanepoel, Dan Worrall, Patrick Kruger.