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So that'll be all for this contest. It was a pleasure bringing the coverage of the same to you here on Sportskeeda but the action rolls along in the cricketing world. Speaking of the SA20, MI Cape Town will be in action tomorrow at Newlands as they take on table-toppers Pretoria Capitals. Do join us for our coverage of the same on this very platform while also keeping yourselves updated with all the other cricketing news and action from around the globe. For the moment though, this is the duo of Arya Sekhar Chakraborty and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. Good night and here's wishing you a fabulous week ahead!
A happy captain and a happy Orange Army. They're moving up the ladder and are one of the teams to beat in the competition alright. It's looking rosy for them and another win before the tournament breaks for a few days ought to leave them in pole position to seal a spot in the knockouts. They will look to pocket a few more points against the Paarl Royals at this very venue on Tuesday after which the Super Giants, desperate for a win, look to put their campaign on track before it's too late. They play the Joburg Super Kings at the Wanderers that very evening.
Aiden Markram (Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain): All the games so far we struggled to put a full game together. That was the drive coming into today and I'm glad we did it. Conditions were quite tough (yesterday) and we probably didn't play as well as we could have. There was some learning in that. When the guys come in and get a start like that in the powerplay, it's great. T20 cricket, one or two guys on the night can win you a game. You never really know. We have to restart again on Tuesday but we'll savor it tonight. (On van der Merwe) The bulldog show (grins) - he's awesome to have in the team. He should have another ten years in him hopefully.
Roelof van der Merwe is the Player of the Match for his stunning spell of 6/20. Here's what he has to say: It was very enjoyable. The vibe tonight was unbelievable, the band brings another level of it. Just hitting my areas you know and luckily, it was one of those nights where everything goes your way. I still enjoy it. I love the team game. I'd love to be here for a few more years and see how long it can last. Really enjoying it (the tournament). I think we're very lucky to be playing in front of this crowd.
Quinton de Kock (Durban's Super Giants captain): During toss I wasn't sure what to do. Maybe I would have made this decision but it happens. People make mistakes and you have to come back stronger. It's a concern, two games in a row now. In the last game, I told that we shouldn't look too much into the performance but if it keeps repeating it is a concern. We need points desperately. We have to rock up and play some good cricket.
Match summary: Sunrisers Eastern Cape win by 124 runs.
Adam Rossington 72 (30) | Roelof van der Merwe 6/20 (4) Wiaan Mulder 29 (15) | Dwaine Pretorius 1/36 (3)
There are dominant displays, more dominant ones and then the kind the Sunrisers Eastern Cape produced this evening. Simply put, they have blanked Durban's Super Giants across all facets of the game. To do so having lost the toss too speaks volumes of how this team has defied the odds this tournament thus far and it was always their game when they racked up a massive 210 on the board.
Mind you, it's not as though this total wasn't chasable, but with the pitch playing its part and the Super Giants conducting all sorts of experiments with their batting lineup, the team that kept things simple came up trumps. For some reason, Quinton de Kock didn't open the innings as the left-right combination was stuck with. Kyle Mayers endured a real torrid time in the middle and the Sunrisers read the pitch perfectly before starting with spin. Aiden Markram nipped Matthew Breetzke in the bud and it only spelled doom thereafter for the visitors.
Just one wicket fell to the pace of Marco Jansen and once Wiaan Mulder, the only batter who got some kind of fluency to his innings, was back in the hut. It just unraveled in appalling fashion. One after another, they came and went to leave the Super Giants reeling under an avalanche. And the chief orchestrator of the Domino Effect was the ageless Roelof van der Merwe, who found himself on a hat-trick on two separate instances. A scorcher of a catch off his own bowling aside, he also became the first man to register a five-fer in the SA20, before he converted that into a six-fer. Clearly, it was an evening where neither he, nor any of the Sunrisers could do a thing wrong.
Everything the hosts touched turned into gold. Aiden Markram was spot on with his bowling changes and field placements and the Sunrisers didn't drop a single catch either. In the end. a resounding victory with the bonus point sees the Orange Army surge up the points table to second position with their fourth win in five games. Oh they're here and they mean business too alright! Stick around as we hear from the captains shortly...
And that is that! Only one team seemed to turn up today at St. George's Park and the Orange Army are back to winning ways. Sunrisers Eastern Cape annihilate Durban's Super Giants by 124 runs and secure the bonus point!
14.4 JJ Smuts to Akila Dananjaya, WICKET! That is game set and match. A tossed-up delivery from Smuts on that occasion, Dananjaya comes down the track and tries to whip it away towards the midwicket region. Couldn't quite get the elevation and a superb catch by Aiden Markram. Excellent performance from Sunrisers Eastern Cape. They have literally annihilated the Super Giants here. Akila Dananjaya c Aiden Markram b JJ Smuts 4 (9b, 0x4, 0x6)
14.3 JJ Smuts to Keshav Maharaj, flatter on middle, Maharaj rocks back and works it away towards the on side for a single.
14.2 JJ Smuts to Akila Dananjaya, flicked away of a length around middle down towards the short fine leg region for a single.
14.1 JJ Smuts to Akila Dananjaya, length delivery and worked away towards the on side.
JJ Smuts [2.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack.
Just going through the motions now are the Super Giants. Keshav Maharaj will swing his bat alright, but their net run-rate is set to take a massive crater-sized dent today!
14
overs
84/9score
1
6
1
0
0
1
runs
Akila Dananjaya*
3(6)
Keshav Maharaj
11(9)
Mason Crane
1/21
13.6 Mason Crane to Akila Dananjaya on a length around the off-stump channel, turning into Dananjaya, cut away past the point fielder only for a single.
13.5 Mason Crane to Akila Dananjaya, fuller around middle. Pushed away by Dananjaya straight to the short cover fielder.
13.4 Mason Crane to Akila Dananjaya, a googly on a fullish-length around off, nudged away towards the short third man fielder by Dananjaya.
13.3 Mason Crane to Keshav Maharaj, fuller well outside off, jammed away down towards the long-off region for a single.
13.2 Mason Crane to Keshav Maharaj, SIX! That's a top shot from Keshav Maharaj. Crane floats this up a shade outside off, Maharaj opens up the off side field and goes aerial. Inside out over covers and clears the short boundary.
13.1 Mason Crane to Akila Dananjaya, a tossed-up delivery on middle. Pushed down the ground towards the long-off fielder for a single.
Take a bow and then some Roelof van der Merwe. This old horse continues to gallop along in good 2023 alright! And he's got plenty to offer to this Sunrisers outfit as they continue to take giant strides forward in this tournament.