Balanced brilliance: How Birrell’s Sunrisers scripted another SA20 fairytale

While skipper Tristan Stubbs was still trying to process an extraordinary run chase, Sunrisers Eastern Cape coach Adrian Birrell pointed to squad balance as a key factor behind the franchise’s continued success in the Betway SA20 cricket competition.

The Eastern Cape outfit claimed their third title in four seasons, having finished runners-up to MI Cape Town last year, after beating Pretoria Capitals (158/7) by six wickets with four balls remaining in Sunday’s final at Newlands in Cape Town.

It was a contest that swung dramatically over the course of the 40 overs.

Sunrisers appeared to have made a mess of the chase when they slumped to 48/4 in the ninth over, only for Stubbs and Matthew Breetzke, both home-grown talents, to calmly rebuild the innings before unleashing a devastating late assault.

The pair added 114 in just 11 overs and plundered 45 runs from the final 15 balls to steer Sunrisers home and land the trophy yet again.

An ecstatic Stubbs, who has been with the franchise since its inception but only took over the captaincy this season, admitted the nerves were never far away.

“So stoked. I can’t explain it,” Stubbs said in the post-match interview. “I don’t know what we did or how we did it, but it’s just one of those ‘we actually did it’ moments. It was pretty awesome.

“We were calm, but we were probably panicking too.”

With 56 required from the final four overs, Breetzke set the tone by smashing Lizaad Williams for three fours, before the pair took 21 runs off the 18th over to swing the match in Sunrisers’ favour.

“We know we bat really well together, and we kept looking for an over to get some momentum,” Stubbs said.

“Fortunately that came late, around the 17th over, and then we just ran with it. Funny things happen under pressure.”

Stubbs’ maiden season as captain has been a memorable one. Sunrisers topped the points table in the group stage and, despite falling short against the Capitals in the first qualifier, ensured they corrected their mistakes when it mattered most.

“I’ve really enjoyed this month,” Stubbs said. “I’ve had a great group to work with, and we’ve planned really well.

“The bowlers are experienced, which makes it easier, and Quinny (Quinton de Kock) and I worked closely on the bowling changes.

“It’s been a whole team effort. The senior players have been awesome, and it’s special to finish like this.”

De Kock was instrumental throughout the campaign, finishing as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 390 runs in 11 innings.

Having reversed his ODI retirement last September, the Player of the Tournament said he was relishing being back at the elite level.

“My two-year retirement did me well,” de Kock said. “I’m happy to be back, happy to be playing cricket for my country and contributing as much as I can.

“After the auction we knew we had a great team, both on and off the field.

“The guys fought really hard for this trophy, and some of the younger players showed incredible grit. It’s not easy to play those kinds of innings in a final, and they delivered.”

Birrell echoed those sentiments, crediting the auction strategy and the overall balance of the squad.

“I think we did really well at the auction and ended up with a very balanced team,” Birrell said.

“No disrespect to the other sides, but we bat deep, we have quality spin and pace, and a high-quality, experienced opening pair.

“We also used the fewest players throughout the tournament, which is tough on the bench, but it speaks to the depth we have.

“There are fantastic, high-quality players waiting for opportunities, and that gave me a lot of confidence as a coach.

“We’ve been the most consistent team, winning well with bonus points and losing only by narrow margins.

“Quinny’s been outstanding, and when he scores runs, you generally win trophies.”