Cape Town, Jan 17 (PTI) Defending champions MI Cape Town revived their SA20 playoff chances with a three-wicket victory over Sunrisers Eastern Cape here.
Pretoria Capitals (20 points), Sunrisers (24 points) and Paarl Royals (24 points) have already qualified for the playoffs.
MI Cape Town (14 points) were in charge of the match the moment Trent Boult ousted an in-form Quinton de Kock in the very first ball of the innings, which the Eastern Cape managed 139 for 9.
The Cape Town side maintained the pressure throughout with Boult rediscovering his form with 3/28 before Corbin Bosch closed out the innings with figures of 4/34.
All the Sunrisers batters struggled to adapt to a two-paced Newlands surface with only Marco Jansen striking the ball with freedom.
The lanky all-rounder stroked four sixes and three boundaries in his 23-ball 48 and along with a sedate 28 off 27 balls from James Coles, the Sunrisers posted 139/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Jansen took his batting form straight into the MI Cape Town innings with the left-armer removing both Rassie van der Dussen and the in-form Ryan Rickelton in the Powerplay to provide Sunrisers with a good start.
But Reeza Hendricks (41 off 43 balls) dug his heels in to play the anchor role to ensure that despite MI Cape Town continuing to lose wickets, they would inch closer to the required total.
All-rounder George Linde struck a breezy 31 off 18 balls and new import Kieron Pollard contributed 20 off 14, but still Sunrisers stayed in their fight.
It became tricky towards the end when Hendricks was dismissed off the final ball of the penultimate over, caught at deep cover off Anrich Nortje, leaving MI Cape Town requiring four runs off the final over.
But Sunrisers’ all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy (2/25) over-stepped to offer up Bosch a free hit and the latter closed out the game. PTI UNG UNG AH AH
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