Wihan lubbe

Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s bid to win an unprecedented hat-trick of SA20 titles remains on track as they beat the Joburg Super Kings by 32 runs in an eliminator and will now meet the Paarl Royals in Qualifier 2 on Thursday for a place in the final.

Captain Aiden Markram’s love affair with the Pretoria ground continued with the skipper’s 62 not out off 40 balls setting up the Sunrisers’ 184/6. Super Kings’ run-chase stuttered throughout, with the Joburg side unable to put together any meaningful partnerships as they slipped to 152/7 in their 20 overs.

The eliminator was virtually decided in two separate overs of each innings. The Sunrisers innings were delicately poised at 149/5 with 12 balls remaining when Markram and Marco Jansen bashed 29 runs off Lutho Sipamla’s penultimate over.