Pretoria turns electric as Sunrisers hunt 177 for victory

Sunrisers Eastern Cape will need 177 to beat Pretoria Capitals under the lights at Centurion.

Anrich Nortje (3-32) and Adam Milne (2-36) led the way for the Sunrisers with their four overs apiece, while Lewis Gregory conceded just 18 runs from his stint, restricting the Capitals to 176-7 in their Betway SA20 clash on Monday night.

Connor Esterhuizen was the big plus for the home side, promoted to the top of the order and striking 52 from just 33 balls in front of a packed home crowd.

But it took some late slugging from Sherfane Rutherford (47 not out off 22) to ensure a competitive total.

Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj had earlier sprung a minor surprise by going against the received wisdom and batting first on winning the toss.

Visiting skipper Tristan Stubbs claimed to be perfectly happy chasing and his opening bowlers initially made a decent start.

It took 11 balls until the hosts found the boundary, with Esterhuizen sporting a guilty grin after flashing just over short fine leg.

Bryce Parsons (18 off 15 balls) suffered a torrid start, not least ramping a shot straight into his own helmet.

He belatedly found his groove when he tucked into Lutho Sipamla, on debut, going four, six, four, before attempting one too many down the ground where Stubbs took the tumbling catch at mid off.

Milne then found a tickle on the underedge of Shai Hope’s bat to end the West Indian’s stay before it had even begun.

But Esterhuizen was undeterred, striking back-to-back sixes - the second beautifully controlled over midwicket - before dinking straight to bring up the 50 off the penultimate ball of the powerplay.

Consecutive fours saw him do similarly to the freshly introduced Nortje, who whistled in to clock 150/kph from the get go.

Senuran Muthusamy had an element of control but was fuming with himself after tossing up a wide one that Wihan Lubbe scythed over wide long off for six, marking the 50 partnership.

But it lasted just two more balls until Lubbe (21 off 19) cracked Gregory into the onside and into the waiting hands of Stubbs on the rope.

Up came the 100, though, with Esterhuizen tucking into the returning Jansen.

Three fours through the covers in a row - the middle of which was a fluffed catch by Gregory, flummoxed by the setting sun - and a checked single saw him also reach his own half century in 28 balls.

Nortje’s extra pace did the trick in the end, though, coaxing a mistimed Esterhuizen drive out to Jordan Hermann at deep point, with the opening experiment a success at 52 off 33 balls.

And he did for dangerous Dewald Brevis next, digging in a cross-seam delivery that the 22-year-old could only swat into the onside, with Matthew Breetzke getting his skates on to take the catch.

Then up stepped Quinton de Kock, who curtailed Andre Russell’s debut with the bat with a flying, one-handed catch to his right off a Milne slower ball.

The Capitals just couldn’t break the shackles and Nortje completed his fiery four-over allocation by bowling Maharaj with an inch-perfect yorker.

But they put themselves in the hunt when Rutherford finally found his range, clattering 21 for himself off the previously excellent Milne’s final over.

He managed a further 10 off the last, finishing just shy of a maiden SA20 half century.

PRETORIA CAPITALS: Connor Esterhuizen, Bryce Parsons, Shai Hope (wk), Wihan Lubbe, Dewald Brevis, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Keshav Maharaj (capt), Lizaad Williams, Tymal Mills, Lungi Ngidi.

SUNRISERS EASTERN CAPE: Quinton de Kock (wk), Jonny Bairstow, Matthew Breetzke, Jordan Hermann, Tristan Stubbs (capt), Marco Jansen, Senuran Muthusamy, Lewis Gregory, Anrich Nortje, Adam Milne, Lutho Sipamla.