Joburg Super Kings fast bowlers Lutho Sipamla and Hardus Viljoen ripped through the Sunrises Eastern Cape to drive their team to a comprehensive nine-wicket bonus point victory on a glorious sunlit Sunday afternoon at the Wanderers. Joburg Super Kings’ bowlers Lutho Sipamla and Hardus Viljoen demolished the Sunrises Eastern Cape, securing a dominant nine-wicket victory at Wanderers.
A vibrant crowd celebrated the team’s success under clear skies, as Devon Conway and Wihan Lubbe effortlessly guided the chase, marking a memorable day for captain Faf du Plessis’ 400th T20 game.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : A nice hot day, a bit of a breeze as well. Dimensions – square boundaries – 56m and 63m, straight down the ground – 76m. Close to the crease, you can see some cracks and it’s because of the baking. I spoke to the groundsman and he said seven days ago was the last time they got rain here. A bit of grass (towards the good length area), it holds it quite nicely together. They’ve had a nice time rolling, only a couple of games played here. Today, we’ve got a good one. You need to be 180 and above reckons Pommie Mbangwa
Toss : Sunrisers Eastern Cape skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to bat with one change in the playing XI bringing in Beyers Swanepoel for Simon Harmer. Joburg Super Kings skipper Faf Du Plessis bowling first made two changes in the playing XI bringing in Moeen Ali and Matheesha Pathirana for Lues De Plooy and Maheesh Theekshana .
Hardus Viljoen’s 4-fer and Lutho Sipamla’s 3-fer skittles SEC for mere 118 runs in 19 overs
It didn’t seem like the game would be such a one-sided contest after the first glimpse of the pitch, which appeared to be a good surface to bat on. However, like all other tracks at the venue, the new ball was a challenge and Sunrisers once again caved in through injudicious shot selection and fragile technique.
After all the rain the Highveld has experienced the past weeks, the Super Kings fans streamed through the turnstiles at the Wanderers to take in the perfect summer’s day to support their team. The yellow whistles bristling around the Bullring had an immediate effect with Lutho Sipamla (3/13) gaining the ultimate redemption.

After the young fast bowler over-stepped at St George’s Park on Friday evening when he clean bowled Zak Crawley with the first ball of the innings, Lutho Sipamla followed it up on Sunday by having the England Test batter caught at slip this time. Zak Crawley was lucky to survive a first-ball duck in the return fixture few days ago as Lutho Sipamla had overstepped but got no such favours this time. A pacy outswinger found the edge that was snaffled at first slip, setting the tone for Super Kings’ dominance.
Tom Abell fell in the same over, the first of the game, as he dragged one on, leaving the tourists at 0/2. Jordan Hermann, promoted to no.4, was the next to fall as Lutho Sipamla had him nicking off in his next over. It was the perfect start for both Lutho Sipamla and the Super Kings. With his confidence restored, the fast bowler Lutho Sipamla charged in and claimed a second wicket when Tom Abell chopped on to his stumps to leave the Sunrisers reeling at 0/2 after the first over.

From there on the Sunrisers only slipped further into the quagmire with Jordan Hermann and Aiden Markram also following shortly to leave the defending champions at 17/4.
Viljoen then sent Aiden Markram for a golden duck as Sunrisers found themselves at 17/4 inside the powerplay. Amidst the carnage, David Bedingham (48 off 40) got going with a few fluent boundaries and he got some support from Tristan Stubbs (37 off 38) with the latter taking his time for a major part of the partnership.
It meant that Bedingham had to do the heavy-lifting to up the rate and that resulted in his downfall, miscuing Imran Tahir to long-off. The 57-run stand had, gave Sunrisers some respite and Stubbs combined for another partnership with Marco Jansen (22 off 18). The pair added 41 at a slightly better pace but the excessive loss of wickets upfront meant that they had to delay their charge towards a competitive total. Ultimately, the charge never came as Jansen fell to a soft dismissal and Stubbs was run out the very next ball.
Beyers Swanepoel and Ottniel Baartman didn’t trouble the scorers too much as Sunrisers lost their last five wickets for just three runs. David Bedingham (48) and Tristan Stubbs (37) attempted a rebuild with a 57-run partnership, but the Super Kings were not going to release the pressure with Hardus Viljoen (4/24) closing out the innings with a superb death over spell that saw the Sunrisers skittled for 118.
The Super Kings’ performance in the field was also exceptional with Donovan Ferreira highlighting it with an exceptional one-handed grab whilst running on the boundary to send Beyers Swanepoel back to the dugout.
Devon Conway’s 76* spark 9 wicket bonus point win over Sunrisers by JSK
The only way the defending champions could have made a game of this score was to pick up a cluster of wickets in the powerplay. Conway along with Faf du Plessis ensured that didn’t happen although the latter fell towards the end of the six-over mark. Conway carried on and stitched a match-sealing stand of 85 with Wihan Lubbe (25 off 17) as the home side got the job done with elan. To be fair to the Sunrisers, they were at least 50 runs short of a competitive total.

In the match against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Conway opened the innings for Joburg Super Kings in the second innings and played a match-winning knock, scoring 76 off 56 balls, which included 11 fours, 3 sixes, and a strike rate of 135.71. He first put together a 34-run opening stand with Faf du Plessis, and then for the second wicket, he formed an unbeaten 85-run partnership with Wihan Lubbe. Conway did most of the scoring and helped his team win comfortably.

The Super Kings’ run chase was near perfect with Devon Conway (76 not out off 56 balls) and Wihan Lubbe (25 not out off 17 balls) easing their team home with six overs remaining.
This innings was much needed for Devon Conway, in fact, this was his first half-century of the tournament. He was previously getting starts in some matches but could not cash in on them. This knock must come as a relief for him, his team, and also his IPL franchise, CSK, for whom he will be playing again after missing the last season due to injury.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Faf Du Plessis the winning JSK skipper said : T20 is a strange game. Important toss. We put in some good performances. The previous game he (Sipamla) got a wicket off the first ball but that was a no-ball. He did it again today. He got us two wickets in the first over and that made a massive difference. Even in the previous game, we weren’t too far away. You don’t always get the rewards in this format.
Fielding is a great measurement where a team is. The last two opportunities we have been good on the field. Someone like Conway will play good cricketing shots. He is the kind of player who anchors the innings. Strange wicket today. Glad that we are in the Highveld in the next 10-15 days.
Aiden Markram the losing SEC skipper said : Tough day at the office. We were very behind in the game after the powerplay. We will have individual discussions and move on to the next game. Never nice to lose like this. Performances like these happen at times in T20 and we have played enough cricket to understand that. Credit to the way they bowled. I look forward to putting up a better show next time.
Lutho Sipamla Player of the Match for his 3 wickets for 13 runs said : Really good start. Glad to be able to contribute. I was trying to keep it as simple as possible. I had clear plans. I feed off my captain and he does the same. I was given the opportunity and I took the chance. Nice having such players and a great coaching staff. You learn a lot and try to take it in.
In an exhilarating display of pace bowling, Joburg Super Kings fast bowlers Lutho Sipamla and Hardus Viljoen decimated the Sunrises Eastern Cape, leading their team to a commanding nine-wicket victory with a bonus point at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Highveld’s recent rains gave way to a perfect summer’s day, drawing enthusiastic Super Kings fans to the stands.
The electric atmosphere was palpable as Sipamla, after a challenging outing at St George’s Park, redeemed himself by taking 3/13, including the prized wicket of England’s Zak Crawley at slip. After leaving the Sunrisers at a precarious 0/2, the team’s fortunes only dwindled further, finding themselves 17/4 as Sipamla and his fellow bowlers maintained relentless pressure.
Though David Bedingham and Tristan Stubbs stitched together a 57-run partnership, their resistance was short-lived as Viljoen (4/24) orchestrated a perfect death over spell, ending the Sunrisers’ innings at 118. Highlighting the Super Kings’ impeccable fielding, Donovan Ferreira dazzled the crowd with a phenomenal catch to dismiss Beyers Swanepoel.
The Super Kings’ response with the bat was nothing short of clinical. Devon Conway (76 not out) and Wihan Lubbe (25 not out) smoothly carried their team to victory with six overs remaining, a fitting celebration for captain Faf du Plessis’ milestone 400th T20 appearance.
A ruthless all-round performance from Joburg Super Kings saw them register a thumping nine-wicket win over Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the Wanderers on Sunday (January 26).
Opting to bowl, Lutho Sipamla (3-13) set the tone with a fiery new-ball spell while Hardus Viljoen (4-24) triggered a sensational collapse at the death as the visitors were rolled over for a paltry total of 118. Devon Conway (76*) then led the chase, which the hosts completed with six overs to spare, thereby gaining a bonus point as well. The loss also ended Sunrisers’ four-game winning streak.
JSK will be pleased. Elated actually. The adjectives can go on. Massive win at home. JSK not only have won this but have sent out a statement. The way Conway asserted himself was impressive to say the least. He took his time but then unleashed himself. Faf fell early trying to go for the chase.
But Wihan Lubbe gave good support to Conway and the chase was done away with by the 14th over. None of the bowlers really managed to ruffle a lot of feathers. JSK had three losses on the trot but they have broken that jinx as well. But SEC would feel that their batting display earlier was an aberration as they are much better than what they showcased today.
JSK have got their campaign back on track. This win would have been a massive boost for them. And the bonus point was an added bonus to their elation. SEC will introspect a little and come back stronger as we have seen in the past.