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Sunrisers Eastern Cape will play SA20’s third final in a row as the Aiden Markram-led side defeated Paarl Royals in by 8 wickets in the 2nd Qualifier match played in Centurion and sealed their berth in the final. Winning the toss, the Royals captain David Miller elected to bat first. With early fall of opener Mitchell Owen on a duck, the Sunrisers looked dominating but the partnership between Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Rubin Hermann gave a headache to the defending champions. Both players stitched a 99-run partnership for the second wicket off just 64 balls. The opener went back to back to the pavilion after losing his wicket to Craig Overton.
However, Hermann was too hot to handle for the Sunrisers as he remained unfazed and stood at the crease until the end of the innings. The southpaw scored 81 off 53 with eight fours and three maximums. Andile Phehlukwayo also made his batting cameo superb with his unbeaten 22-run knock that came in just 11 deliveries. Riding on their decent batting efforts, the Sunrisers posted 175/4 in their 20 overs. Chasing the total, the Sunrisers lost David Bedingham early but Tony de Zorzi (78 off 49) along with Jordan Hermann (unbeaten 69 off 48) gave nightmare to the Royals. Both batters built a 111-run stand for the second wicket off just 67 deliveries. The partnership paved the way for the two-time champions as they comfortably pulled off the target with four balls remaining in the contest. Zorzi received the Player of the Match award for his match-winning innings.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape to play their third consecutive final
Sunrisers will play their third consecutive final as the Markram-led team not just appeared in the last two finals of the league but also got success in both. The defending champions vanquished Pretoria Capitals and Durban’s Super Giants to win their first and second title respectively.
The two-time champion side will face MI Cape Town in the final to be held in Johannesburg. MI Cape Town beat Paarl Royals by 39 runs in the first Qualifier held in Gqeberha, to win the spot for the event’s grand day.
