Pretoria collapse as they give SEC a bonus-point victory as De Kock, Breetzke and Milne contribute chiefly.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) were set up for a big finish with half-centuries from Quinton de Kock (77) and Matthew Breetzke (52). However, they ended up with 188 instead of the 200+ total they appeared to be on course for, with Tymal Mills and Lungi Ngidi giving up just 20 off the final three overs with their slower balls into the pitch.
But after a strong start, the Pretoria Capitals (PC) drifted away, and Adam Milne’s figures of 4 for 25 destroyed their chase, thus it proved to be a sufficient total.
With seven wickets remaining and PC needing 92 off the final 58 balls, the game was in the balance with Will Smeed well set. However, Senuran Muthusamy’s fantastic delivery from a left-arm spinner cleaned Smeed up, leading to a collapse of 3 for 14 that virtually ended the match. In the end, SEC won by 48 runs and earned a bonus point.
De Kock and Breetzke dominated for over 12 overs after Ngidi removed Jonny Bairstow in the second over. SEC scored 64 runs and hit five sixes by the end of the powerplay. One of the four that had fallen off de Kock’s bat was particularly graceful.
Jordan After de Kock left, Hermann showed up and hit two boundaries off his first three balls. With three overs remaining, he was on 27 from 12 balls after starting the 17th over with four and six off Wihan Lubbe. With an eye towards 200, the SEC was comfortably resting at 168 for 3. However, Ngidi and Mills continued to benefit from the speed changes as Tristan Stubbs pulled Mills to a deep backward square leg. In the last over, Hermann was dismissed for 37 off 20 balls by Mills.
Five overs into their pursuit, PC was 49 for 1. With five fours and a six, including three boundaries off Anrich Nortje in the fifth over, Shai Hope had blasted to 36 off 18 balls. However, Milne’s back-of-the-hand slower ball landed on a yorker length and flattened Hope’s off stump just as PC had all the momentum.
Then, in the eighth over, Lewis Gregory caught Dewald Brevis at wide long-on. However, just over the midway point, Smeed appeared to be in charge, but Muthusamy caught him with a beauty. After drifting in and dipping into a length of leg stump, the ball spun and bounced enough to strike the upper middle. After Smeed left for 35, the rest did the same.