Aiden Markram led Eastern Cape Sunrisers to the Betway SA20 final against Pretoria Capitals at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday with an amazing 100 runs from 58 balls against Joburg Super Kings in the semifinal.
On Thursday night at SuperSport Park in Centurion, it was a tense match as the Sunrisers batted first and scored 214 runs in their run chase, with Markram leading the way with his century.
Temba Bavuma, the Proteas captain, was bowled out by Lizaad Williams and caught by Reeza Hendricks in the first over, giving the Super Kings an early advantage.
Adam Rossington followed Bavuma through Williams’ bowling to get his second game-winning wicket.
In the eighth over, Markram entered the game and combined with Jordan Hermann to score 99 runs. The crowd at Markram’s favorite Centurion stadium was thrilled by his power-hitting and strokeplay as he approached his milestone.
The Sunrisers were 213/5 after 20 overs, which left it up to the bowlers to do the job.
Sisanda Magala, a death bowler and seam bowler, ensured that captain Faf Du Plessis’s time on the wicket was brief by dismissing him with the first delivery and leaving the field with a golden duck.
Despite Hendricks hitting a respectable 96 runs from 54 deliveries, the Sunrisers maintained their superiority in the bowling department up till the last over, limiting the Super Kings to 199 runs and losing by 14 runs.
The thrilling first SA20 competition will come to a close this weekend with the Capitals and Sunrisers battling it out for the title of champions.
»Markram captained the SA20 finalist Eastern Cape Sunrisers«