Twitter Reactions: Roelof van der Merwe, Adam Rossington lead Sunrisers Eastern Cape to massive victory
With the win, the Sunrisers jumped two places up to the second position in the league's points table.
After multiple low-scoring thrillers, the SA20 2023 League finally witnessed a high-scoring game when the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Durban’s Super Giants squared off in the 19th match of the tournament at St George's Park in Gqeberha. The Sunrisers’ batters put up a masterclass and registered the second-highest total of the tournament before eventually getting back to winning ways and clinching a victory.
Super Giants won the toss and put the opposition to bat first. The Sunrisers were off to a dream start as opening batters Adam Rossington and Jordan Hermann put up a great show. They added 67 runs in the powerplay and went on to share a magnificent 100-run partnership off just 50 deliveries as Rossington led the Sunrisers’ assault with the bat.
His wicket was very unfortunate. On what was a free-hit delivery, confusion between the two led to Rossington being run out on the non-striker’s end. Super Giants finally managed to break the partnership and got the breakthrough, but they could not stop the opposition batters from scoring. After Rossington’s 30-ball 72, Hermann alongside Aiden Markram, continued the flow of runs from both ends.
The duo stitched a 68-run partnership for the second wicket before Hermann was dismissed in the 17th over scoring a 44-ball 59. While it was raining runs in the game, the actual halted the batters’ prowess for a whil. However, Markram and young batter Tristan Stubbs continued to score quickly, scored runs at a good pace, and went on to share an unbeaten 41-run stand, thereby leading their team to a whopping 210/2 in 20 overs.
Roelof van der Merwe's masterclass hands Sunrisers a huge victory
The Super Giants’ start to the chase was dreadful, as they lost their opening batter Matthew Breetzke in just the second over of the innings. Top order batter Wiaan Mulder was on fire as he entered the field and scored a quick 15-ball 29, including four fours and a six, before eventually walking back to the pavilion in the final over of the powerplay.
Durban’s Super Giants faced a terrible batting collapse when Roelof van der Merwe struck twice in the seventh over to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen and Quinton de Kock on consecutive deliveries. Just when Kyle Mayers and Jason Holder thought of building the innings back, Van der Merwe again struck twice in the ninth over and sent both the Caribbean players packing.
Van der Merwe completed a brilliant five-wicket haul when he returned for his third over and dismissed Dwaine Pretorius after Mason Crane had added Keemo Paul’s wicket to his name. As a result, the Super Giants were reduced to 68/8 in 11 overs while chasing a target of 211 runs. The Netherlands’ all-rounder breathed fire as he added a sixth wicket to his name in the fourth and final over of his spell, and finished with astonishing figures of 6/20.
Jon Jon Smuts picked up the final wicket and the Super Giants crumbled scoring mere 86 runs. van der Merwe's destructive spell with the ball helped the Sunrisers clinch a massive 124-run victory as the Aiden Markram-led side got back to winnings ways and jumped two places up to the second position on the points table.
Here's how Twitter reacted:
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