A sensational knock by Sunrisers Eastern Cape skipper Aiden Markram booked his side’s place in the final after a 14-run victory over the Joburg Super Kings in their Betway SA20 semifinal match in Pretoria on Thursday evening.
Striking at more than 172 on his domestic home ground at SuperSport Park, Markram clubbed a century off just 58 balls to catapult his side to an above-average 213/5 in their allotment of 20 overs.
The right-hander struck a dozen boundaries (6x4 and 6x6) on his way to the tournament’s third century, after Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis and Heinrich Klaassen from Durban’s Super Giants, earlier in the competition.
Chasing 214 for victory and a place in the semifinal, Super Kings batsman Reeza Hendricks played the only innings of substance for the men in yellow, scoring 96 off 54 including 11 fours and four sixes, helping his side to 199/6 in 20 overs.
The highveld side got off to a disastrous start, losing talisman Faf du Plessis, caught on the boundary by Jordan Hermann off Sisanda Magala for a first-ball duck.
Leus du Plooy (0) was caught at backward point by Temba Bavuma for Marco Jansen’s first wicket, which left the Super Kings two wickets down for just one run.
Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee was joined by Hendricks, the duo taking their side past 50 in the seventh over with a huge six straight back past the bowler.
Roelof van der Merwe struck with his second delivery when Coetzee (12) danced past a delivery that Adam Rossington collected and swiftly whipped off the bails to break the 52-run third-wicket partnership.
Matthew Wade and Hendricks combined to score 46 for the fourth wicket as the right-hander brought up his first half-century of the tournament.
Wade fell for 19, caught by Van der Merwe off Brydon Carse, and Donovan Ferreira hit 20 off nine deliveries before his brief cameo ended when he was caught on the fence by Bavuma with the “Bull Dog” claiming his second wicket of the match.
Romario Shepherd and Hendricks then shared 61, before Hendricks finally fell for a brilliant 96 with two balls left in the innings and 22 runs still to get.
The men in orange were put into bat by their Joburg counterparts, losing Bavuma (0) and Rossington (6) in the second over bowled by Lizaad Williams with 10 runs on the board.
Hermann and Markram knuckled down and got the innings back on track to take their score to 108 in the 13th over.
Hermann, who hit five boundaries and a maximum, was expertly run out by the combination of Williams and Wade after attempting a second run to send the left-hander on his way for 48.
The Titans man continued to score freely and warmed to the familiar conditions as he and Tristan Stubbs continued to torment the Super Kings bowlers and take their score past 180.
Markram brought up his century with a maximum before he became Williams’ third scalp off the second ball of the penultimate over with 184 runs in the bank.
He struck again three deliveries later, Stubbs caught by Ferreira as Williams finished with 4/36 in his quota.
Jordan Cox (18) struck two sixes and Jansen (6) a boundary off of a no-ball to see the innings to a close.
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Markram ton sends Sunrisers to SA20 final
Reeza Hendricks scores valiant 96 but Joburg Super Kings fall short
Sports reporter
Image: SA20/Sportzpics/Gallo Images
A sensational knock by Sunrisers Eastern Cape skipper Aiden Markram booked his side’s place in the final after a 14-run victory over the Joburg Super Kings in their Betway SA20 semifinal match in Pretoria on Thursday evening.
Striking at more than 172 on his domestic home ground at SuperSport Park, Markram clubbed a century off just 58 balls to catapult his side to an above-average 213/5 in their allotment of 20 overs.
The right-hander struck a dozen boundaries (6x4 and 6x6) on his way to the tournament’s third century, after Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis and Heinrich Klaassen from Durban’s Super Giants, earlier in the competition.
Chasing 214 for victory and a place in the semifinal, Super Kings batsman Reeza Hendricks played the only innings of substance for the men in yellow, scoring 96 off 54 including 11 fours and four sixes, helping his side to 199/6 in 20 overs.
The highveld side got off to a disastrous start, losing talisman Faf du Plessis, caught on the boundary by Jordan Hermann off Sisanda Magala for a first-ball duck.
Leus du Plooy (0) was caught at backward point by Temba Bavuma for Marco Jansen’s first wicket, which left the Super Kings two wickets down for just one run.
Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee was joined by Hendricks, the duo taking their side past 50 in the seventh over with a huge six straight back past the bowler.
Roelof van der Merwe struck with his second delivery when Coetzee (12) danced past a delivery that Adam Rossington collected and swiftly whipped off the bails to break the 52-run third-wicket partnership.
Matthew Wade and Hendricks combined to score 46 for the fourth wicket as the right-hander brought up his first half-century of the tournament.
Wade fell for 19, caught by Van der Merwe off Brydon Carse, and Donovan Ferreira hit 20 off nine deliveries before his brief cameo ended when he was caught on the fence by Bavuma with the “Bull Dog” claiming his second wicket of the match.
Romario Shepherd and Hendricks then shared 61, before Hendricks finally fell for a brilliant 96 with two balls left in the innings and 22 runs still to get.
The men in orange were put into bat by their Joburg counterparts, losing Bavuma (0) and Rossington (6) in the second over bowled by Lizaad Williams with 10 runs on the board.
Hermann and Markram knuckled down and got the innings back on track to take their score to 108 in the 13th over.
Hermann, who hit five boundaries and a maximum, was expertly run out by the combination of Williams and Wade after attempting a second run to send the left-hander on his way for 48.
The Titans man continued to score freely and warmed to the familiar conditions as he and Tristan Stubbs continued to torment the Super Kings bowlers and take their score past 180.
Markram brought up his century with a maximum before he became Williams’ third scalp off the second ball of the penultimate over with 184 runs in the bank.
He struck again three deliveries later, Stubbs caught by Ferreira as Williams finished with 4/36 in his quota.
Jordan Cox (18) struck two sixes and Jansen (6) a boundary off of a no-ball to see the innings to a close.
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