‌SA20 | Three-dimensional excellence eclipses Royals as Eastern Cape finish top of the table

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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The Sunrisers Eastern Cape justified the defending champions tag by finishing the 2024 SA20 league stages at the top of the table. Disciplined bowling restricted the Royals to a fighting total but they failed to defend it as Patrick Kruger minimized the difference with a quickfire finish.

Electing to bat first in the reverse fixture, Paarl Royals got an early jolt after Jason Roy failed to get go and lost their first wicket inside three overs. But in-form Jos Buttler held the fort and produced a 40-run partnership with Mitchell van Buuren before getting dismissed for 38 off 22. Van Buuren and David Miller followed suit quickly, and the scoreboard read 76/4 halfway through the innings. Just when they needed a partnership, Dane Vilas and Wihan Lubbe consolidated 49 runs for the fifth wicket before the latter was outsmarted in the 17th over with the scoreboard reflecting 125/5. VIlas followed back to the pavilion in the next over and with some minute contribution the Royals’ lower order propelled the score to 159/7.

In reply, the Eastern Capes got a brisk opening stand of 33 runs before Cody Yousuf cleaned up Jordan Hermann in the final over of the powerplay. In a space of fourteen balls, Dawid Malan followed him back to the dugout with the defending champions struggling at 49/2. Aiden Markram (37) and Temba Bavuma joined hands and stabilized the ship by excellent strike rotation mixed with periodic boundaries. The experienced campaigners glued 63 runs third wicket stand before the skipper holed out to Jason Roy off Andile Phehlukwayo in the 16th over. Four balls later, rain intervened in the contest but luckily it turned out to be a passing shower. With 40 runs needed from the remaining four overs, Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs tried to drive the chase calculatively. However, in an attempt to up the ante, the wicketkeeper-batter was dismissed, making way for Patrick Kruger.  Subsequently, the all-rounder whacked a couple of sixes to bring down the equation to eight needed off the final over. Although Bavuma holed out in the next delivery, a four and a six from Kruger (7-ball 26*) helped the Eastern Cape to end the league stages on a high.

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