CAPE TOWN: Marco Jansen played a match-winning knock of 66 from 27 balls to steer Sunrisers Eastern Cape to a sensational two-wicket win over MI Cape Town in the SA20, here on Wednesday.
Set to chase 172, Jansen led the charge as he smashed seven sixes and three fours during his blistering knock and took his side to command before he was bowled out by Rabada in the 19th over.
Tailenders Roelof van der Merwe and Sisanda Magala, however, held their nerves strong to reach the finishing line with five runs left to chase in the final over.
Jansen was a standout among the Sunsriser’s batters besides a useful contribution from Tristan Stubbs, who made 28 from 21, too as the rest of the batting line was effectively dislodged with intermittent wickets by the fierce MI pace attack.
Earlier, Grant Roelofsen scored 36-ball 56 while stitching an astounding 102-run partnership with Ryan Rickelton, who made 46 off 36, to help MI Cape Town reach a competitive total of 171/6 after they were put to bat.
Roelofsen and Rickelton anchored Cape Town’s innings after they faced an early blow in the second over when Sisanda Magala removed opener Dewald Brewis.
However, the alarms went off after the breakthrough wicket of Rickelton in the 14th over off van der Merwe, who then hunted Roelofsen three deliveries later.
Delano Potgieter and Odean Smith brought some sanity to the MI Cape Town’s order after it lost five quick wickets between the 14th and 17th overs.
Potgieter made 21 from 13 while Smith contributed 25 from 13 in the final phase of MI Cape Town’s innings.
