Sunrisers Eastern Cape batters Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs produced a remarkable fight yesterday, as they carried their team to the SA20 title with a six-wicket victory over the Pretoria Capitals at Newlands.
While the Capitals looked to have things under control for most of the league final, they lost their grip in the closing stages, and the Sunrisers dug deep to lift the trophy for the third time in four years.
Set a target of 159 runs to win, two-time former champions the Sunrisers lost opener Johnny Bairstow in the first over of their chase, and after battling to find momentum during the powerplay, they were left struggling at 48/4 in the ninth over of their innings.
But Breetzke and Stubbs stuck their heels in at the crease, turning the match on its head. The duo shared an unbeaten 114-run partnership for the fifth wicket as the Eastern Cape side reached 162/4 with four balls to spare.
Breetzke made 68 not out off 49 deliveries – his 26th T20 half-century – and captain Stubbs hit 63 off 41, compiling his 12th career fifty in an innings which included four sixes.
The Capitals attack combined well to put the Sunrisers under pressure for the first half of the innings, with four of their bowlers taking wickets (led by captain Keshav Maharaj who grabbed 1/23), but once Breetzke and Stubbs got going they looked unstoppable.
Pretoria Capitals innings
Earlier, after being sent in to bat, the Capitals found themselves in early trouble after losing two wickets for just one run from the first seven balls of their innings.
Middle-order batter Dewald Brevis led a fightback, however, sharing 97 runs with opener Bryce Parsons for the third wicket.
Parsons was run out in the 13th over after contributing 30 at a run-a-ball, and after he was removed, Brevis went on to bash 101 off 56. He hit his third career T20 century as he kept his team together.
He didn’t receive much back-up from his teammates, but the big-hitting Proteas star took complete control.
Despite Brevis running rampant, the Sunrisers managed to pull things back at the death, with seamer Marco Jansen taking two wickets (including the scalp of Brevis) in a maiden penultimate over, and speedster Anrich Nortje gave away just three runs in the last over of the innings.
Jansen spearheaded the Sunrisers bowling attack, taking 3/10 from his four overs, and his efforts in particular proved sufficient as the Eastern Cape batters went on to wrap things up in thrilling fashion.
