Sunrisers book play-off spot
The Sunrisers Eastern Cape cruised to a nine wicket bonus point win over the Joburg Super Kings in their SA20 match at the Wanderers in Johannesburg last night.
The result secured the Sunrisers a place in the play-offs with two pool stage games to play, while also lifting them to second on the log.
The Super Kings stay in the fourth and final playoff spot, with one pool game left, but are in danger of the Pretoria Capitals and
MI Cape Town below them overhauling them.
In the match the Sunrisers won the toss and chose to bowl and were vindicated, skittling the Super Kings all out for just 78.
Dawid Malan, 40 not out off 32 balls (5x4, 1x6) and Tom Abell, 26 not out off 20 balls (3x4, 1x6) then shared an unbeaten 50-run stand to power them home in the 11th over, after Jordan Hermann (11) fell to Lizaad Wiliams in the fifth over.
But it was a superb performance from the Sunrisers bowling department that set them up for the easy win in the end, while keeper Tristan Stubbs took five grabs behind the stumps for a solid outing.
Australian Daniel Worrall was the star performer, picking up 3/20 in his four overs, while Patrick Kruger (3/8 in two overs), Marco Jansen (2/13) and Beyers Swanepoel (2/21), all pitched in to back him up in a bowling fiesta.
It was Worrall who got the ball rolling in the second over, removing Faf du Plessis and Reeza Hendricks for ducks, caught by Stubbs and Jansen at slip, leaving them on 10/2.
Leus du Plooy (18) and Wayne Madsen shared the biggest partnership of the innings of just 22, but Swanepoel removed Du Plooy, and Jansen had Moeen Ali out for a six-ball duck, both caught by Stubbs as they ended the powerplay on 41/4.
Worrall returned in the ninth over to catch Kyle Simmond (3) off his own bowling, while Kruger bowled his first over in the 11th and removed Donovan Ferreira (8) and Madsen, as the Super Kings tumbled to 64/7.
The final three didn’t last long as Aiden Markram took a couple of catches at mid-on and long on, with Doug Bracewell (12) offering slight resistance.