Sunrisers Eastern Cape secured a comprehensive 48-run victory over Pretoria Capitals in Gqeberha,. Lungi Ngidi’s historic milestone wasn’t enough to help the Capitals to a win.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Sunrisers suffered an early setback when Ngidi struck in the second over, bowling Johnny Bairstow for just 2(3). The dismissal marked a significant personal achievement for Ngidi, who claimed his 200th wicket in T20 cricket, reaching the milestone with a crucial early breakthrough.
Quinton de Kock and Matthew Breetzke steadied the innings with an excellent partnership, guiding Sunrisers to 64/1 after the powerplay. The duo continued their methodical approach, reaching 90/1 after 10 overs with de Kock anchoring the innings on 60 (38) deliveries.
De Kock’s aggressive knock of 77(47) ended dramatically when he was stumped by Shai Hope after dancing down the wicket and mistiming his shot. The dismissal broke a crucial partnership at 134/2, providing the Capitals with their first breakthrough since the opening over.
Breetzke’s valuable contribution ended shortly after, bowled by Wihan Lubbe for 52 (33) in the 15th over. Despite late wickets falling regularly, including Tristan Stubbs (9) caught in the deep and Jordan Hermann 37 (20) dismissed in the final over, Sunrisers posted a competitive 188/6.
Capitals’ chase began disastrously when Wayne Parsons fell for 1 (2), caught behind off Marco Jansen’s bowling in the first over. Hope attempted to stabilise the innings with an aggressive 36 (19) before Adam Milne’s slower delivery deceived him in the sixth over.
The collapse accelerated as wickets tumbled regularly. Dewald Brevis managed 12 (5) balls before falling on the boundary, whilst Will Smeed’s 35 (27) ended when Senuran Muthusamy’s delivery turned sharply to bowl him.
Milne proved instrumental in the demolition, claiming multiple wickets including Kyle Esterhuizen 9(14) in his first delivery of the 13th over. The required rate climbed beyond reach as further dismissals reduced Capitals to 140 all out.
Tharindu Rathnayake, posted impressive 2-15 supported by Milne who scored 4-25 with ball in hand.
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