By Ross Roche.
The Sunrisers Eastern Cape clinched a crushing bonus-point nine-wicket win over the Joburg Super Kings in their SA20 clash at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.
The win was set up by the Sunrisers’ bowling department, skittling the Super Kings all out for 78, before they chased the score down in the 11th over for the loss of just one wicket.
Dawid Malan, 40* off 32 balls (5×4, 1×6), and Tom Abell, 26* off 20 (3×4, 1×6), powered them to the big win with an unbeaten 50-run partnership after Jordan Hermann (11) was the only wicket to fall.
The Sunrisers’ chase got off to a slow start with just four off the first two overs, but a sweet inside-out six over the covers from Malan and a four through point from Hermann saw 13 come off Moeen Ali in the third over.
A couple of boundaries from Malan off Nandre Burger in the fourth over saw 11 runs flow from it, but was followed by Hermann departing in the fifth, edging Lizaad Williams to keeper Donovan Ferreira with the score 29/1.
Three fours in a row from the bat of Malan in the final over of the powerplay took the Sunrisers to 46/1 and well on target.
Malan and Abell took them to the halfway mark on 65/1, before Abell decided to end things in the 11th over, as he launched Doug Bracewell over long-off for four and then pulled him over deep square leg for six as they cruised home.
At the start of play the Sunrisers won the toss and chose to bowl first, and were rewarded as they ran through the Super Kings’ batting order.
Aussie Daniel Worrall led the attack superbly, picking up 3-20 in four overs, and was backed up by Patrick Kruger who claimed 3-8 in two overs, as well as Marco Jansen, 2-13, and Beyers Swanepoel, 2-21.
The Super Kings’ innings got off to a rough start as Worrall claimed a double strike in the second over, having Faf du Plessis caught behind by keeper Tristan Stubbs for a fourth-ball duck and then Reeza Hendricks out for a first-ball duck, edging to Jansen at slip with them 10/2.
Leus du Plooy, 18 off 12 balls (3×4), and Wayne Madsen, 32 off 23 (5×4, 1×6), then enjoyed a couple of decent overs, only for Swanepoel to come into the attack and get Du Plooy first ball of the fifth over, nabbed by Stubbs leaving them wobbling on 32/3.
A brilliant final over of the powerplay from Jansen brought a wicket maiden, but it was his worst ball down the leg side that got Ali for a sixth-ball duck as he tried to flick a ball on the hips only to get a thick edge, with Stubbs pulling off a blinding diving catch as the home side slipped to 41/4.
A couple of quiet overs saw the Super Kings inch past the 50 run mark, before Worrall returned and caught Kyle Simmonds (3) off his own bowling with the Super Kings struggling on 53/5.
Kruger came in for his first over in the 11th and saw his first ball crunched back over his head for six by Ferreira (8), but he hit straight back, having Ferreira caught by Simon Harmer at short fine leg, followed by Madsen edging another leg side ball to Stubbs, as the Super Kings tumbled to 64/7.
Bracewell (12) struck a six in his short stay, but Williams (1) chipped Swanepoel to Aiden Markram at mid-on, Bracewell skied Kruger to Markram at long on, and Imran Tahir (1) edged Jansen to Stubbs as the last three wickets fell quickly.
Joburg Super Kings: Faf du Plessis (c), Reeza Hendricks, Leus du Plooy, Wayne Madsen, Moeen Ali, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Doug Bracewell, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Imran Tahir, Sam Cook
Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Dawid Malan, Jordan Hermann, Tom Abell, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs (wk), Liam Dawson Marco Jansen, Patrick Kruger, Beyers Swanepoel, Simon Harmer, Dan Worrall.