Pretoria Capitals stumbled briefly at 61-4 but recovered to seal a six-wicket victory after dismissing the Sunrisers Eastern Cape for a meagre 113 in their SA20 match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday afternoon.
Englishman Will Jacks blasted struck 27 from 23 balls before top-edging countryman Richard Gleeson (2-31) to the third boundary and when captain Rilee Rossouw (12) hooked Ottneil Baartman (3-0-9-1) to square leg the home side were wobbling.
But Liam Livingstone (14*) and Marques Ackerman (39* from 30 balls) steadied the innings and completed victory at 115-4 with four overs to spare with left-hander Ackerman adding a cherry to the win by hitting the final ball of the 15th over from Marco Jansen for six to claim a bonus point – just.
Marques Ackerman seals the bonus-point win for the Pretoria Capitals 👏👏#BetwaySA20 | #SummerOfCricket pic.twitter.com/G1FTb7gLFb
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) January 14, 2025
JANSEN SHINES AS TEAMMATES COLLAPSE
Earlier Marco Jansen struck a valiant and entertaining half century amidst an astonishing collapse as defending champions Sunrisers limped to a wholly inadequate total of just 113 all out.
Jansen struck four fours and three sixes in his 51 from 35 balls but there was almost nothing from the rest of the batsmen with the next highest score just 12 from number nine Craig Overton.
English opener Zak Crawley (1) set the tone with a soft chip to mid off at the end of the first over from Eathan Bosch and David Bedingham (2) followed two balls later with a flat-footed edge to ‘Keeper Kyle Verreynne off fast bowler Daryn Dupavillon who finished with 3-32 from his four overs.
It was 4-3 when Aiden Markram contrived to clip his first delivery, a woeful, legside effort from Dupavillon, straight to Rahmanullah Gurbaz at deep square leg leaving the bowler as red-faced as the batsman.
Tom Abell (9) missed an attempted ramp shot and was bowled by Migael Pretorius and the innings was in complete disarray on 26-5 when Tristan Stubbs (11) miscued a pull against Bosch (4-0-18-2) to Senuran Muthusamy on the square leg boundary.
Left-arm spinner Muthusamy (4-0-29-2) was responsible for the best wicket of the collapse when he held onto a ferocious straight drive off his own bowling to remove all rounder Patrick Kruger (10) who had briefly threatened to rebuild the innings in the company of Jansen.
He then bowled Simon Harmer with a quicker ball.
When Jansen sliced Jimmy Neesham to Capitals captain Rilee Rossouw at mid off to depart for a wonderful 51 the Sunrisers hopes of somehow posting a defendable total departed with him.
It was the Capitals’ first victory in three matches while the Sunrisers’ title defence is already on shaky ground after three losses.
Making Centurion a fortress is the main goal for Pretoria Capitals 🏡🔵#BetwaySA20 | #SummerOfCricket pic.twitter.com/idBSSnHMZA
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) January 14, 2025
PRETORIA CAPITALS: Will Jacks, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Rilee Rossouw (captain), Liam Livingstone, Marques Ackerman, James Neesham, Senuran Muthusamy, Migael Pretorius, Eathan Bosch, Daryn Dupavillon
SUNRISERS EASTERN CAPE: Zak Crawley, David Bedingham, Tom Abell, Aiden Markram (captain), Tristan Stubbs (wkt), Patrick Kruger, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Craig Overton, Richard Gleeson, Ottneil Baartman