Pretoria Capitals Shot Out for Lowest Total in SA20 History
In a shocking turn of events, Pretoria Capitals were shot out for a mere 52 runs, setting the record for the lowest total in SA20 history. This astounding feat was achieved by defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who secured a dominating bonus-point victory by chasing down the target in just seven overs.
The match took place at St. George’s Park, where the pitch unexpectedly offered steep bounce and carry for the fast bowlers. Taking advantage of these favorable conditions, the hosts, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, elected to bowl first. Little did they know that their decision would lead to such a resounding victory.
The downfall of the Capitals started in the third over when Daniel Worrall managed to get an edge off Phil Salt’s bat, resulting in a catch behind the stumps by Tristan Stubbs. With the first domino falling, the others quickly followed suit. Will Jacks attempted to pull a delivery from Marco Jansen in the next over but was only able to glove it to the short fine-leg fielder due to the unpredicted bounce.
Ottniel Baartman, who claimed remarkable figures of 4 for 12, was then introduced into the attack. He wasted no time in making an impact, knocking Colin Ingram’s off-stump out of the ground with his very first delivery. The Capitals were now reeling at three wickets down, and the situation worsened when Rilee Rossouw also fell.
With just 32 runs on the board and half the side back in the pavilion, the Capitals were witnessing a complete collapse. James Neesham fell victim to a Worrall half-volley on leg stump, finding a fielder in the deep. Baartman continued to wreak havoc, dismissing Senuran Muthusamy, Wayne Parnell, and Eathan Bosch to wrap up the Capitals’ innings in a mere 14 overs.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s chase was a mere formality, despite losing Dawid Malan early on. Tom Abell, with his quickfire innings of 31 off 22 balls, including four fours and a six, along with Jordan Hermann, guided the team to an easy victory in the seventh over.
The final scores stood at Pretoria Capitals 52 all out in 13.3 overs, with Baartman impressively taking 4 wickets for 12 runs and Worrall claiming 3 wickets for 22 runs. Sunrisers Eastern Cape comfortably reached 54 for the loss of only 1 wicket in 6.5 overs, with Abell contributing 31 runs and Hermann scoring 20.
This historic match will be etched in SA20’s record books as the day when Pretoria Capitals suffered a monumental collapse, resulting in the lowest total ever recorded in the tournament’s history. On the other hand, Sunrisers Eastern Cape displayed exceptional bowling prowess, sealing a comprehensive victory and asserting their dominance as defending champions.
