Newlands provided the backdrop for a thoroughly enthralling and entertaining SA20 Final as Sunrisers Eastern Cape defeated Pretoria Capitals to win their third SA20 title in glorious sunny conditions, pulling down the curtain on an outstanding fourth edition of the tournament.
Dewald Brevis became the first player to score a century in a SA20 Final and looked to have inspired the Pretoria Capitals to their first-ever SA20 title with a spectacular 101, but the game provided a tense, drama-filled finale.
Brevis single-handedly kept the Capitals in the contest and got them to a respectable score, displaying great temperament, poise, and effort.
His effort was matched by a stellar, unbeaten partnership of 114 off 77 balls by Protea teammates Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs.
Following a poor start in which Connor Esterhuizen and Shai Hope fell early, it was Brevis and Bryce Parsons who resurrected the innings and got the Capitals back into the game.
The two put on a 96-run partnership, which came to an end when Parsons decided to take on the arm of Jordan Herman – but an accurate throw and quick work behind the stumps by Quinton de Kock proved his undoing.
Brevis’ 101 off 54 balls included eight fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 180, took a particular liking to the spin of James Coles, who was dispatched to all parts with his two overs costing 31 runs.
He brought about his century by swatting Lutho Sipamla over deep square leg for a six as he celebrated by throwing his arms aloft to the adulation of the crowd.
Once Brevis departed – trying to improvise a reverse scoop off Marco Jansen before being caught by de Kock – the Capitals’ innings wilted.
The Sunrisers ended the innings on the front foot, conceding only 3 runs in the final two overs, including a double-wicket maiden from Jansen in the penultimate over, which brought two wickets.
The Capitals scored 158, leaving the Sunrisers 159 to win.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape never quite got going as the regular fall of wickets hampered them from gaining any momentum and stifled their attempts at matching the required run-rate.
They found themselves teetering at 48/4 in the ninth over as the batters struggled to come to terms with the wicket amidst some tight Capitals bowling.
Matthew Breetzke added some much-needed stability, and once he was joined by captain Tristan Stubbs, the two experienced heads guided Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the most unlikely of victories.
At one stage, they required 15 runs per over in the final four overs, but they accelerated like an elite 100 metre sprinter out of the blocks in a final and batted with such aggression that only nine was required off the final over.
Stubbs played an emphatic innings and finished the game with a six to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
The Capitals will reflect on a score that was perhaps 20 runs short and an opportunity lost as they had one hand on the trophy, only to have it strangled away from them.
Brevis 101 (56 balls), Marco Jansen 3/10 (4 overs), Anrich Nortje 1/19 (4 overs)
Matthew Breetzke 68* (49 balls), Tristan Stubbs 63* (41 balls)
