Paarl Royals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Qualifier 2
In Qualifier 2 of the SA20 2025 held at SuperSport Park, Centurion, Sunrisers Eastern Cape triumphed over Paarl Royals by 8 wickets and made their place in the finals. The match was an exhibition of aggressive batting, strategic bowling with stunning fielding efforts under the lights.
Paarl Royals opted to bat first and mustered a reasonable 175 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs. The innings began brightly with Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who scored a run-a-ball 59 with 8 fours and a six. But, that was quickly followed by the duck of Mitchell Owen, who fell prey to the bowling of Marco Jansen, checkmating early momentum. It was Hermann’s dunning knock of 81 off 53 balls, aided by 8 fours and 3 sixes, which made the backbone upon which the Royals built their score.
David Miller, the captain, was out for a demoralizing 6 off a seed LBW by Aiden Markram, Karthik made 23, but Hermann made sure that the score could be defendable. The lower-order batsman made sure Andile Phehlukwayo was unbeaten on 22 off 11, pushing the total beyond 170. For Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Craig Overton was the most successful bowler, ending with figures of 4-0-24-1, while Marco Jansen, Ottneil Baartman, and Markram received the other wickets.
Chasing Sunrisers Eastern Cape made light work of the chase, finishing at a whopping 177 for 2 with 4 balls to spare. Tony de Zorzi set up a masterclass after smashing 78 runs off only 49 balls, punctuated by almost lavish treatment of the bowlers with 11 fours and 2 sixes, where he formed a perfect combination with Jordan Hermann. Hermann himself was equally impressive with his innings of an intact 69 off 48 balls, which boasted 4 fours and a few maximums that ensured ease of chase for Sunrisers. David Bedingham fell cheaply for 9, but the de Zorzi and Hermann partnership did the damage.
Sunrisers skipper Aiden Markram finished off the chase toward the back end and remained not out at 11, including a boundary, all while hinting at a sense of urgency in bringing the game to an end. Dunith Wellalage and Kwena Maphaka grabbed one apiece amongst the bowlers of the Paarl Royals, but the firing Sunrisers kept sniping away at their bowlers without any hesitation.
It featured some brilliant fielding with a couple of screamer catches alongside a run-out, yet batting stole the show. Sunrisers’ powerplay was violent; 51 runs set the tone for an easy chase.
This victory for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape was a true testament to their batting strength, giving them the confidence to chase down under pressure. It takes them to the final while leaving the Royals to think about if they could have made a more worthy fight in both departments. It was 60 minutes of SA20 cricket at SuperSport Park filled with a combination of individual brilliance and team genius.
Also Read: Sharjah Warriorz To Face Dubai Capitals In The Final Of ILT20 2025
