MI Cape Town all-rounder Delano Potgieter, who claimed five wickets, leaps into the air after dismissing Richard Gleeson of Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 opener in Gqeberha on Thursday. Photo: Sportzpics
Zaahier Adams at St George’s Park
GQEBERHA: An inspired new-ball spell from Trent Boult and a Dewald Brevis blitzkrieg spoiled the Sunrisers Eastern Cape homecoming as MI Cape Town recorded an emphatic 97-run win in the Betway SA20 opener at St George’s Park on Thursday evening.
Boult (2/16) showed all the class that has made the New Zealander one of the premier swing bowlers on the white-ball circuit the past decade.
Would you believe it? 🤯🤯
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) January 9, 2025
It's a double-wicket maiden for Trent Boult ⚡⚡
📺 Stream #BetwaySA20 on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw #SummerOfCricket pic.twitter.com/abn7o9VSAp
The Kiwi swung the new ball prodigiously to rip through the Sunrisers’ top-order, before Delano Potgieter (5/10) mopped up the tail to rout the home side for a paltry 77, which earned the visitors a comprehensive victory.
Brevis had earlier lit up the tournament opener with 57 off just 29 balls (2x4, 6x6).
It rekindled memories of when Brevis launched the competition in grand style at Newlands two seasons ago.
The youngster’s quality has never been in doubt, but often the hype has been greater than the output, especially last season, when Brevis struggled to find form.
No bowler was safe against Brevis 🚀🚀
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) January 9, 2025
You can watch Sunrisers Eastern Cape's chase in English. Afrikaans or isiXhosa 🎙️
📺 Stream #BetwaySA20 on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw #SummerOfCricket pic.twitter.com/6slsjPtuKH
But when MI Cape Town found themselves in a spot of bother at 42/3 just after the conclusion of the Powerplay – with new-boy Reeza Hendricks (0), Connor Esterhuizen (22) and Rassie van der Dussen (16) all back in the dug out already – Brevis launched his counter-attack.
He greeted off-spinner Simon Harmer with a smack over deep square leg for the first of his half-dozen sixes, before taking on the left-arm spin of Liam Dawson.
The former England international was struck for two boundaries, before he felt the full force of Brevis as he was pummelled over deep square leg.
But Brevis was only warming up. The square boundary on the scoreboard side of the field at St George’s Park was ridiculously small on the night, which prompted the Sunrisers seamers to keep the ball up in fear of going short.
This played into Brevis hands’ as he tore into Beyers Swanepoel. The Sunrisers all-rounder was guilty of over-pitching, and Brevis launched him straight back over his head for successive sixes, which brought up his half-century off just 23 balls.
Colin Ingram (22) had the best seat in the house for Brevis’ electric batting display as the pair rebuilt the MI Cape Town innings with a 67-run partnership off just 39 balls for the fourth wicket.
Unfortunately for the visitors, both set batters fell just when the final five overs were approaching, which led to a mini-collapse, with MI Cape Town losing three wickets in the space of six runs.
The visitors, however, regained the momentum through a 41-run partnership off just 21 balls between George Linde (23 not out, 17 balls) and Potgieter (25 not out off 12 balls).
The pair were particularly destructive in Marco Jansen’s final over of the innings, with the Proteas left-armer leaking 24 runs as MI Cape Town posted 174/7.
The back-to-back defending champions never quite recovered from that final-over mauling, with Boult ripping through the Sunrisers top-order with a double-wicket maiden third over.
The @SA20_League is a VIBE! 🔥☄️
— Zaahier Adams (@ZaahierAdams) January 9, 2025
St George’s Park is gonna punp tonight for the opening game #SECvMICT
First ball: 5:30pm !@IOLsport @IOL @LanceTheWitten @JohnGoliath82 @robbie13flair pic.twitter.com/6Kv5dMYGkR
And when fellow MICT newbie Azmatullah Omarzai had Jordan Hermann caught on the boundary the next over, the home team were reeling at 16/3.
The expected recovery that had always arrived at some stage in the previous two seasons was not forthcoming on the night, with Potgieter wrecking havoc. | Independent Media Sport
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