Sunrisers end drought with first SA20 win against Super Giants

Though they were left with a mountain to climb, and still remained rooted to the bottom of the table, title holders Sunrisers Eastern Cape finally broke their duck last night, picking up their first win of this season’s SA20 league.

After falling in their first three fixtures of the campaign, the two-time champions bounced back, beating Durban’s Super Giants by 58 runs at Kingsmead stadium.

“They (Super Giants) are a quality side, quality opposition, and you take any win against them,” Sunrisers captain Aiden Markram said after the game.

Set a target of 166 runs to win, a few of the Super Giants batters got off to starts but none of them managed to convert as they were bowled out for 107 runs in the 19th over of their innings.

Seam bowlers Richard Gleeson (2/12) and Ottneil Baartman (2/17), and spinner Liam Dawson (2/18), took two wickets each for the Sunrisers.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape innings

Earlier, after the Sunrisers won the toss and chose to bat, Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad kept the visitors under pressure.

Ahmad was involved in all five Sunrisers wickets that fell. First he caught opener David Bedingham in the fourth over, off a Naveen-ul-Haq delivery, and he grabbed the next four scalps with the ball, returning 4/25 from his four overs.

He did not receive enough support from the rest of the Super Giants bowling attack, however, as the Sunrisers racked up 165/5.

Tom Abell anchored the Eastern Cape team’s batting line-up, hitting 57 off 39, and he was well backed by fellow Englishman Zak Crawley (38) and all-rounder Marco Jansen (36 not out).

Sunrisers still in last place

While the Sunrisers earned their first points of the league stage, they remained last in the standings.

The Super Giants were lying second from bottom in the six-team competition. While the Durban side had also secured only one win from four fixtures, one of their games was rained out, which had given them an extra couple of points as they continued to float just above the Eastern Cape team.

The Sunrisers and the Super Giants will clash again in Gqeberha tomorrow (3.30pm start).