Marco Jansen, Richard Gleeson, and Ottniel Baartman picked up two wickets each to help Sunrisers Eastern Cape successfully defend the total of 165 runs in the SA20 match against JSK. Marco Jansen (2/19) led the way with the new ball in the Powerplay. The Sunrisers once again relied on their captain Aiden Markram and their most senior bowler Marco Jansen for the win.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape raised the roof at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Friday (January 24) with a fourth consecutive victory to power the defending champions into second place on the SA20 table. Sunrisers are up to 19 points just one below the table–topping Paarl Royals, who have played one game less. The 14-run victory over the Joburg Super Kings was hard earned with the Sunrisers once again relying on their captain Aiden Markram and their most senior bowler Marco Jansen.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch report : “There are a couple of bare patches and a couple of spots with green spots. This could play better than the previous game although it could be a bit two-paced,” opines Vernon Philander. “54m and 67m side boundaries, 74m hit down the ground,” says Mike Haysman.
Toss : Sunrisers Eastern Cape skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bat with no changes in the playing XI. Joburg Super Kings skipper Faf Du Plessis bowling first made three changes including Theekshana, Lubbe and Jones in the playing XI.
David Bedingham, Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs steers SEC to 166 for 4 in 20 overs
After losing Zak Crawley in only the second over of the innings, Eastern Cape laid a solid base with partnerships worth 42 and 49 for the second and third wickets. Tom Abell and David Bedingham took the conservative route ahead while Markram was responsible for the firepower through the middle. Markram found his groove through a lofted four and a six off successive deliveries from Evan Jones to lift a sagging innings. His 29-ball 43 paved the way for a clinical finish that left Eastern Cape sitting pretty.

Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen had launched a late assault that fetched Eastern Cape 42 runs in the final four overs and pushed them to a total of 165 which had never been chased in three seasons at the venue. The duo had carried on the good work and momentum given by Aiden Markram, whose quickfire 43 had seen them through the middle-over rebuild.

Markram held his team’s innings together with a high-quality 43 from 29 balls, while Tristan Stubbs also enjoyed a welcome return to form with 35 not out off 22 balls. Opener David Bedingham also contributed a solid 37 that pushed the Sunrisers up to a highly-competitive 165-4.
Marco Jansen and bowlers powers SEC to 14 runs win over JSK
Sunrisers’ bowling attack has proved the difference over the last four matches and so they showed yet again on another rousing night in Gqeberha. And it’s Marco Jansen that leads the way with the new ball in the Powerplay. Despite having Du Plessis (27 off 18 balls) dropped at slip by Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen responded two balls later to dismiss the JSK skipper in exactly the same fashion.
Harmer made amends by holding on to the chance the second time around. It was in fact good captaincy from Markram who gave Marco Jansen a third over in the Powerplay in the hope of breaking a promising opening partnership between Du Plessis and Devon Conway.
The Super Kings had a steady start chasing 165 with Devon Conway playing an anchor’s role, but never managed to sustain the momentum at the other end. Marco Jansen was the pick of the bowlers for Eastern Cape getting a rampaging Faf du Plessis out cheaply before he could do more damage than his 18-ball 27.

The New Zealand international laid down the anchor for the remainder of the JSK innings with 43 off 40 balls, but did not have sufficient support at the other end for the visitors to haul in the target.

That cameo apart, the Super Kings found it hard to keep abreast of the required run-rate. Marco Jansen came back to make another crucial strike in the middle overs getting rid of Jonny Bairstow and finished with impressive figures of 2-19. Just an over earlier, a patient Conway had miscued a big hit off Dawson. The two blows in successive overs at a critical stage when the Super Kings were set for a final assault tilted the game decisively in favour of Eastern Cape, who had earlier managed to create an impact in the death overs with the bat.
This was due to sustained pressure from the Sunrisers bowling attack with Richard Gleeson (2/37), Ottniel Baartman (2/32), Liam Dawson (1/10) and Markram (1/21) all chipping in to maintain the pressure on the Super Kings.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Aiden Markram the winning SEC skipper said : More often than not it is the execution of the bowlers. They come up with the plans for the conditions and it is execution after that. They were batting well but we found our way back. It is kind of a tough place to score freely.
We put more emphasis on running between the wickets, it is good to see the boys hustling. Each team wants to hunt you down, you should not get extra emotional and take it one game at a time. I was standing on the boundary rope and taking it (the crowd) all in, it was all orange.
Faf Du Plessis the losing JSK skipper said : They have a strong batting line-up. I thought it was a par score. There was a bit of movement up front. We started well but lost wickets. It is a quality bowling unit. There was a period when Conway and Leus were batting well, but once that partnership was broken the pressure was back on us. These guys have done really well at home, we did the same last year and hopefully we do it this year.
Marco Jansen Player of the Match for his overall performance said : Absolutely. There is no better crowd in the country especially when you are winning. I didn’t pull the trigger to be honest, I got singles and gave the strike to Stubbs. Gleeson has good pace, swings the ball and we bowled nice lines, nice lengths and reaped the rewards for it. Today’s wicket we felt bowling hard length would work – some would skid on, some would stop on the batter. We take each game as it comes.
There’s a reason Gqeberha is a fortress for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and why sides have failed to chase down totals here. Joburg Super Kings were keeping the asking rate in check until the 11th over but the squeeze started from there and the wickets too started to tumble. Faf got them off to a flier, Conway took his time but stitched a 50-run stand with du Plooy.
JSK were 85/2 after 11 overs but lost their way in the second half and it was a procession once Conway departed. Sunrisers’ bowlers were just brilliant with their execution, the spinners started the squeeze and the pacers followed it up. They make it four wins on the bounce and are starting to peak at the right time.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape raised the roof at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Friday (January 24) with a fourth consecutive victory to power the defending champions into second place on the SA20 table. Sunrisers are up to 19 points just one below the table–topping Paarl Royals, who have played one game less.