The diversity in the Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s bowling attack is what gives them an edge, fast bowler Daniel Worrall said after their thumping nine-wicket victory over the Joburg Super Kings on Wednesday.
The men in orange put on another clinical display with the ball, outplaying their hapless opponents in their own backyard.
Worrall took three wickets, jumping to joint top of the wicket-takers’ list with 13 scalps alongside the Paarl Royals’ Lungi Ngidi.
Three wickets for eight runs in two overs by Patrick Kruger, alongside Worrall’s 3/20 from his four overs, was the catalyst for the impressive performance on an indifferent Bullring surface, as the Super Kings were bundled out for a measly 78, the lowest score at the venue in the history of SA20.
Two wickets each by the 2.06m tall Marco Jansen and Beyers Swanepoel, who finished with 2/21 and 2/13, respectively, and five dismissals by wicketkeeper Tristan Stubbs showed exactly how well coach Adrian Birrell has got his charges firing.
“The biggest asset for our bowling group is our diversity — we have a guy who is left arm, 12 foot six,” Worrall said tongue-in-cheek after the match, “[and then] you have me, who is short and fat, bowling swingers right arm over the wicket.
“You’ve got [Ottneil] Baartman who has been exceptional this tournament, hitting yorkers and bowling really well at the death, and then the spin combo of [Liam] Dawson and [Simon] Harmer in the middle — the left-right arm [combination] has been really effective for us.
“The diversity really helps us [because] we can play different guys in different scenarios based on what the game requires.”
Wayne Madsen (32 from 23) and Leus du Plooy (18 off 12) were the only real contributors to the Super Kings’ scorecard, which included three ducks and five single-digit scores, ending their innings on 78 all out in 15.2 overs.
It was the second time the men from Gqeberha had beaten a Gauteng side by nine wickets this season, having trounced the Pretoria Capitals by the same margin in chasing down a 53-run winning target with 79 balls remaining.
The win, which is their fourth in five matches, saw Dawid Malan (40 off 32) and Tom Abell (26 off 20) share a 50-run partnership, as the defending champions secured their playoff spot, with two games against the Paarl Rocks coming up in Paarl on Friday (5.30pm) and Sunday (3.30pm) in Gqeberha.
“There is a lot of diversity with our bowlers and then two of the best players of SA cricket at the moment in [Aiden] Markram and [Tristan] Stubbs in the middle order.
“You’ve got Abell who has been brilliant and averaging [over] 50 in this tournament and the class of [Jordan] Hermann and Malan at the top.
“So I think we are a really well-rounded team who are playing as a unit, and that will stand us in good stead for the finals,” Worrall said.
The Sunrisers are on 23 points in second place after that bonus point victory.
A win at Boland Park would secure second place and a ticket to qualifier 1, with a chance of advancing straight to the final should they win that clash.
Their opponents in that match will in all likelihood be Durban’s Super Giants at Newlands on February 6.
“You get another chance if you finish first or second, so we have two huge games coming up against Paarl, one there and one at St George’s.
“I know for a fact our fans at St George’s will be out in full force and making as much noise as they can to drag us over the line.”
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Diverse bowling attack fires up Sunrisers — Worrall
Orange Army put on another clinical display with the ball, crushing hapless Super Kings
Image: ARJUN SINGH/SPORTZPICS/SA20
The diversity in the Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s bowling attack is what gives them an edge, fast bowler Daniel Worrall said after their thumping nine-wicket victory over the Joburg Super Kings on Wednesday.
The men in orange put on another clinical display with the ball, outplaying their hapless opponents in their own backyard.
Worrall took three wickets, jumping to joint top of the wicket-takers’ list with 13 scalps alongside the Paarl Royals’ Lungi Ngidi.
Three wickets for eight runs in two overs by Patrick Kruger, alongside Worrall’s 3/20 from his four overs, was the catalyst for the impressive performance on an indifferent Bullring surface, as the Super Kings were bundled out for a measly 78, the lowest score at the venue in the history of SA20.
Two wickets each by the 2.06m tall Marco Jansen and Beyers Swanepoel, who finished with 2/21 and 2/13, respectively, and five dismissals by wicketkeeper Tristan Stubbs showed exactly how well coach Adrian Birrell has got his charges firing.
“The biggest asset for our bowling group is our diversity — we have a guy who is left arm, 12 foot six,” Worrall said tongue-in-cheek after the match, “[and then] you have me, who is short and fat, bowling swingers right arm over the wicket.
“You’ve got [Ottneil] Baartman who has been exceptional this tournament, hitting yorkers and bowling really well at the death, and then the spin combo of [Liam] Dawson and [Simon] Harmer in the middle — the left-right arm [combination] has been really effective for us.
“The diversity really helps us [because] we can play different guys in different scenarios based on what the game requires.”
Wayne Madsen (32 from 23) and Leus du Plooy (18 off 12) were the only real contributors to the Super Kings’ scorecard, which included three ducks and five single-digit scores, ending their innings on 78 all out in 15.2 overs.
It was the second time the men from Gqeberha had beaten a Gauteng side by nine wickets this season, having trounced the Pretoria Capitals by the same margin in chasing down a 53-run winning target with 79 balls remaining.
The win, which is their fourth in five matches, saw Dawid Malan (40 off 32) and Tom Abell (26 off 20) share a 50-run partnership, as the defending champions secured their playoff spot, with two games against the Paarl Rocks coming up in Paarl on Friday (5.30pm) and Sunday (3.30pm) in Gqeberha.
“There is a lot of diversity with our bowlers and then two of the best players of SA cricket at the moment in [Aiden] Markram and [Tristan] Stubbs in the middle order.
“You’ve got Abell who has been brilliant and averaging [over] 50 in this tournament and the class of [Jordan] Hermann and Malan at the top.
“So I think we are a really well-rounded team who are playing as a unit, and that will stand us in good stead for the finals,” Worrall said.
The Sunrisers are on 23 points in second place after that bonus point victory.
A win at Boland Park would secure second place and a ticket to qualifier 1, with a chance of advancing straight to the final should they win that clash.
Their opponents in that match will in all likelihood be Durban’s Super Giants at Newlands on February 6.
“You get another chance if you finish first or second, so we have two huge games coming up against Paarl, one there and one at St George’s.
“I know for a fact our fans at St George’s will be out in full force and making as much noise as they can to drag us over the line.”
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