CENTURION: Death, taxes and Sunrisers Eastern Cape finding a way. Or something like that.
When the shadows lengthened across Supersport Park at Centurion just before twilight hit the famous old venue, the defending champions were in a spot of bother. Their enterprising openers, Tony de Zorzi and David Bedingham, two players who have contributed immensely to the country's renaissance in the longest format, had gone down in a blaze of glory.
Jordan Hermann and Tom Abell, Nos. 3 and 4, were also accounted for as Johannesburg Super Kings used their spinners — much like Chennai Super Kings, their sister franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) — to maximum effect on a strip providing some purchase for the slower bowlers.
After bleeding 42 runs in the first three overs, JSK, who had remained winless in four previous SA20 outings at this venue, came roaring back into the contest thanks to the efforts of Maheesh Theekshana, Moeen Ali and Imran Tahir, three tweakers who have previously used Chepauk's bald strip as a canvas to let their imagination run wild. The trio not asphyxiated the opponents but accounted for each of the first three wickets to fall. In the process, SEC had slipped from a very healthy looking none for 46 to a slightly malnourished 3/67 after 7.3 overs. It was further compounded when Jordan Hermann was sent back by Hardus Viljeon for a run-a-ball 10. At 4/75 with 11 overs remaining, Aiden Markram knew he had to save the entertainment, if any, for later.
So Tristan Stubbs and he went against their natural attacking instincts and dotted up because they knew they possessed the power game to catch up in the end. The first phase of their 56-run stand had a lot of dot balls, some singles and a couple of boundaries (23 off 24 balls).
With the rot arrested, at least momentarily, Stubbs pumped Theekshana onto the roof over deep-midwicket. He hit another six off Viljoen a few overs later as the two batters slowly but surely began to turn the screws. In this sense, it was a very Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde innings. That was more true for Markram, who assumed the role of aggressor after Stubbs was dismissed against the run of play by the evergreen Tahir.
Marco Jansen, who has shown he can use the long handle to devastating effect, joined and a switch was flicked. Much of that carnage was reserved for Sipamla, whose line and length malfunctioned all night. JSK couldn't turn to any other bowler so Du Plessis gave him the all important 19th over. He was welcomed with a pump down the ground by Jansen. By the time the over was done, he had given away two more sixes and as many fours, his none for 73 off four overs one of the most expensive figures in recent times.
This is what Markram can do. At an earlier point of time in his career, he was a touch impatient and had the tendency to get out rather than try to play the waiting game. These days? He plays like he believes he's the main man of the piece. His first 25 balls yielded only 30 runs but he scored 32 off his next 15, a captain essaying a dual role — firefighting before capitalising on some loose bowling to put his team in front — to perfection. After posting 184, he marshalled his troops rather well to defend the total with relative ease.
On Thursday, they face Paarl Royals in the same venue for a spot in Saturday's final. If history is anything to go by, back SEC.
Brief scores: SEC 184/6 in 20 ovs (Bedingham 27, Markram 62 n.o, Stubbs 26, Tahir 2/21) bt JSK 152/7 (Conway 30, Bairstow 37; Overton 2/20, Baartman 2/25).