Although Jordan Hermann hit an undefeated 106 off 62 balls, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, the defending champions, had to hold off 15 runs off the last over in order to secure their first SA20 victory of the 2024 season thanks to Ottniel Baartman’s defensive work. MI After the visitors scored 202, Cape Town responded with great intensity and was only four runs short.
Pitch Report and Toss Update
In their most recent encounter, MI Cape Town defeated JSK by a commanding 98-run margin, while the Sunrisers lost by 35 runs in a game against Durban’s Super Giants. SEC has a 2-0 head-to-head advantage over MI Cape Town after the two teams faced off twice. In order for MICT to reverse the tide in their favor, this game was crucial.
Aiden Markram, captain of the Sunrisers, had won the toss and decided to bat on a flat Newlands surface, which didn’t seem to have much help for the bowlers.
Jordan Hermann and David Malan set stage for big total with a century stand
Jordan Hermann had an early stroke of luck when, two balls into the innings, he hit strongly at Kagiso Rabada, but the ball slipped between the fingertips of youngster Connor Esterhuizen at slip. Jordan Hermann and Dawid Malan’s opening stand of 138 runs validated Aiden Markram’s choice to bat on a flat pitch at Newlands.
With nearly equal percentages of success, both batters attacked the MICT bowlers all around the ground. The Sunrisers had 53 on the board at the conclusion of the powerplay. It was 96/0 halfway through the innings, with Jordan Hermann cruising to a half-century off only 33 balls.
Malan’s innings were greatly boosted by Liam Livingstone’s 22-run 12th over, despite the fact that he was not outscored by his younger partner in the partnership. Jordan Hermann accelerated to 75 after hitting three sixes and a four, giving Malan an edge of more than 20 runs.
Captain Kieron Pollard strikes to give MICT a breakthrough
Eventually, Kieron Pollard, the captain, broke the partnership. He succeeded with a cutter that Malan miscued right back to the bowler. Pollard removed Markram with another off-cutter, creating a window of opportunity for a comeback.
That turned out to be the case as Jordan Hermann lost speed when trying to reach the hundred, managing to score just 16 runs off his last 12 balls and producing no boundaries during this time.
Ryan Rickleton and Rassie van der Dussen gave the home team an excellent start
Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen, MICT’s opening duo, have been in commanding form, giving the home team the ideal start they needed. Depriving the Sunrisers of a last-gasp flourish gave MICT the momentum they needed to chase after openers Ryan Rickleton and Rassie van der Dussen amassed 64 runs in the powerplay.
That quickly became 105/0 in 9.2 overs as the Sunrisers began to struggle on the field, with wicketkeeper Tristan Stubbs dropping Rickelton twice in two overs. Baartman had Rickelton getting out to long-on for 58 to break the century stand.
The Sunrisers make a comeback as Baartman strikes twice in an over
Ten balls later, when van der Dussen went down, the comeback definitely started. Following the double loss of Dewald Brevis and Liam Livingstone, pressure mounted as MICT’s formidable chase unexpectedly stumbled, losing four wickets for sixteen runs.
Despite this, the early hitting had managed to contain the asking rate, and the 53-run partnership of 33 balls between Sam Curran and Pollard got them back to requiring 26 runs from the last two overs.
Ottniel Baartman held his nerve in the last over to seal the victory for the Sunrisers
The balance was tipped in favor of his team by Curran, who ended the penultimate over with a six after Pollard was dismissed for only the first ball. The problem was reduced to a very manageable 9 from 5 when Connor Esterhuizen smashed a full toss over wide long-on for six.
Baartman, who was retained by the Sunrisers, held his composure, hit inch-perfect yorkers, and gave away just five runs from the remaining deliveries, which allowed the defending champions to win the first match of Season 2 in a spectacular manner in Cape Town.
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