De Kock, Bairstow Power Sunrisers To Record-Breaking Win at Centurion

Pretoria: SA20 Season 4 is a year of records as Sunrisers Eastern Cape claimed victory for the first time against Pretoria Capitals in Centurion on Monday evening.

Sunrisers completed the most successful run chase in SA20 history, overtaking the Capitals’ 176/7 with 10 wickets to spare. Tristan Stubbs’ team came back to the top with 17 points.

Openers Quinton de Kock (79 not out, 41 balls, 5×4, 6×6) and Jonny Bairstow (85 not out, 44 balls, 8×4, 6×6) were in wild mood as the experienced duo sent the Capitals’ bowlers all over Centurion.

De Kock lit up the touch sheet as the left-hander dominated the Powerplay, sweetly hitting the ball into the cover area for a couple of sixes from Lungi Ngidi. He later gave similar treatment to Lizaad Williams as Sunrisers took control.

Bairstow was initially content to watch De Kock take on the Capitals’ bowlers, but soon switched gears as Capitals’ spinner Keshav Maharaj started looking for that breakthrough.

The former England World Cup winner treated Maharaj with disdain, hitting five sixes and a boundary in the 12th over to complete 34 runs, now the most expensive in Betway SA20 history.

The four Player of the Match nominees were Quinton de Kock, Connor Esterhuizen, Anrich Nortje and Sherfane Rutherford, and QDK won 91.2% of the fan vote.

Sunrisers had earlier produced a clinical display of bowling and catching to restrict the Capitals to a below-par total.

Although new opener Connor Esterhuizen (52, 33 balls, 6×4, 2×6) and middle-order batsman Sherfane Rutherford (47 not out, 22 balls, 3×4, 4×6) booked the innings, the Sunrisers never relaxed their grip.

Anrich Nortje lit up his old course with lightning strikes in excess of 150 km/h, taking 3/32, while Lewis Gregory put in a metronomic performance, taking 1/18 from four rounds.

Adam Milne also managed to absorb a 22-run penultimate over to take 2/36, which included the big wicket of Capitals’ new West Indian recruit Andre Russell.

This underlined the Sunrisers’ dominance on the night thanks to a stunning one-handed diving catch from Player of the Match De Kock.

Quick Score:

PC: 176/7(20)

SEC: 177/0(14.2)