Bairstow and De Kock power Sunrisers to record-breaking win

Betway SA20 Season 4 is the year of records with Sunrisers Eastern Cape storming to a first-ever victory over the Pretoria Capitals at Centurion on Monday evening.

Sunrisers completed their highest successful run-chase in Betway SA20 history by cruising past Capitals’ 176/7 with all 10 wickets to spare. It propelled Tristan Stubbs’ side back to the top of the table with 17 points.

Openers Quinton de Kock (79 not out, 41 balls, 5x4, 6x6) and Jonny Bairstow (85 not out, 44 balls, 8x4, 6x6) were in a rampant mood as the experienced duo dispatched the Capitals’ bowlers to all parts of Centurion.

De Kock lit the touchpaper with the left-hander dominating the PowerPlay, striking the ball sweetly over the cover region for a couple of sixes off Lungi Ngidi. He later dished out similar treatment to Lizaad Williams as the Sunrisers took control.

Bairstow was initially content to watch De Kock take on the Capitals’ bowlers but he soon switched gears when Capitals spinner Keshav Maharaj brought himself on in search of the breakthrough.

The former England World Cup winner treated Maharaj with disdain as he blasted five sixes and boundary in the 12th over to smash 34 runs, which is now the most expensive over in Betway SA20 history.

The four Player of the Match candidates were De Kock, Connor Esterhuizen, Anrich Nortje and Sherfane Rutherford with the QDK winning 91.2% of the fan vote.

Sunrisers had earlier delivered a clinical bowling and catching display to limit the Capitals to a below-par total.

Although new opener Esterhuizen (52, 33 balls, 6x4, 2x6) and middle-order smasher Rutherford (47 not out, 22 balls, 3x4, 4x6) bookended the innings, the Sunrisers never loosened their grip.

Nortje lit up his former home ground with thunderbolts in excess of 150 km/h to claim 3/32, while Lewis Gregory was metronomical to finish with figures 1/18 off his four overs.

Adam Milne was also able to absorb a 22-run penultimate over to claim 2/36, which included the big wicket of Capitals new West Indian recruit Andre Russell.

It was courtesy of a spellbinding one-handed diving catch from Player of the Match De Kock, which underlined the Sunrisers’ supremacy on the night.

Betway SA20 Season 4 opening week has delivered an extravaganza of high-quality cricket and entertainment.

Fans have streamed through the turnstiles all around the country with seven sold out matches creating the unique Betway SA20 vibes.

It all lit up in a blaze of excitement in an exhilarating Season 4 opener at Newlands when defending champions MI Cape Town and Durban’s Super Giants delivered a run-fest that saw a cumulative total of 449 runs, which included 25 sixes and 40 boundaries, scored on the night.

Durban’s Super Giants’ 232/5 eclipsed Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s 204/3 in the 2024 Final as the highest score at Newlands and proved too much despite the League’s highest-ever run-scorer Ryan Rickelton kickstarting Season 4 with a marvellous 113 off 65 balls for MI Cape Town.

There were no individual centuries scored in the entire Betway SA20 Season 3.

It has been a week of many firsts with the Wanderers hosting a maiden Betway SA20 Super Over when Joburg Super Kings and Durban’s Super Giants played to a thrilling high-scoring tie on New Year’s Day.

JSK ultimately went on to win the contest with Rilee Rossouw clubbing Noor Ahmad for two boundaries to send a packed Bullring into a state of delirium.

The Betway SA20 derbies have also delivered a unique set of results with Joburg Super Kings beating their Jukskei River rivals, Pretoria Capitals, on their own Centurion patch for the first time in four seasons.

This has been followed by Paarl Royals painting the Western Cape pink by executing the double over neighbours, MI Cape Town, winning both at Boland Park and for the first time ever at Newlands.

Two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape have also enjoyed their best-ever start to the competition after they comprehensively won their opening two matches - both with bonus points - against Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals respectively.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape allrounder Marco Jansen and his former new-ball partner Ottneil Baartman, who is now with Paarl Royals, also became the first bowlers in the Betway SA20 history to pass the 50-wicket milestone.

Baartman is again leading the competition’s bowling charts with 11 wickets already in only four matches.

Despite MI Cape Town’s disappointing results thus far, the defending champions still boast the leading run-scorer in Rickelton with 199 runs at an average of 49.75.

But the excitement does not stop on the pitch; fans have actively engaged in the action as well.

Seven lucky fans have already grabbed a one-handed catch to claim their share of the Betway Catch R- million giveaway.

League partners Absa have also given away a whopping total of R730 000 to 12 lucky winners already along with Switch handing out R5 000 at each game.