The Pretoria Capitals will play in their second SA20 final, on Sunday at Newlands, after winning their qualifier in emphatic fashion at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday night.
Keshav Maharaj’s team beat the two-time former champions and runners-up from last season, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, by seven wickets in a fairly one-sided match. Set a target of 171 to win, the Pretoria-based team reached their target with three wickets down and nine balls remaining.
Brevis and Parsons partnership
Young Capitals batters, former SA U19 captain Bryce Parsons and Dewald Brevis scored 91 runs off 60 balls for the third wicket, sealing the game for their team.
The Sunrisers will get another chance of qualifying for the final when they face the winner of Thursday’s Eliminator in Centurion between the Joburg Super Kings and Paarl Royals. The loser of that match will be out of the competition.
Shai Hope (11 off nine) and Connor Esterhuizen (22 off 19) helped set up the Capitals’ run chase, but it was Parsons’ 60 off 44, and especially Brevis’ brutal 75 not out off 38 balls, with four fours and seven sixes, that swung the game their team’s way.
Sunrisers stutter
Earlier, after the Sunrisers had won the toss and elected to bat first, they lost Quinton de Kock fairly early for a swashbuckling 19, before Jonny Bairstow (50 off 36) and Jordan Hermann (41 off 30) rebuilt the innings in stunning fashion.
But when they were both out late in the innings, the wickets tumbled and the Sunrisers had to scramble for runs.
Marco Jansen, Chris Green and Matthew Breetzke fell cheaply and only a late flourish from Tristan Stubbs (36 off 22) and a quick-fire 17 off four balls from James Coles allowed the Sunrisers to get to their total of 170/7.
Slow left-arm bowler Parsons, who had a day to remember, with an excellent 3/10 in three, and Maharaj, with 2/24 in four, were the best bowlers for the Capitals.
The last time the Capitals played in the final was in season one, when they lost to the Sunrisers by four wickets at the Wanderers.
