Sunrisers chasing three-peat after hammering Royals in second SA20 qualifier

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape proved that the playoffs is their happy place and put MI Cape Town on notice ahead of Saturday’s Betway SA20 final.

If the globe’s richest cricket franchise wants this title, then they will have to visit some dark places to rip it from the grasp of the Orange brigade.

The two-time defending champions claimed an eight-wicket win against the Paarl Royals, who have seen the wheels fall off their season since Joe Root’s departure at the end of January.

Root was a class apart and his impact both on and off the field was enormous for the Royals.

Since he headed to India to join up with England’s One-Day squad, Paarl hasn’t won a game — suffering a four-match losing streak that left their campaign in tatters.

The Sunrisers have leaned heavily into the experience of the last two years.

As they did the previous night against the Joburg Super Kings, on Thursday in Centurion they won all the key moments and, while it seemed strange at the time, the decision not to bowl the usually outstanding Liam Dawson proved to be correct.

In the family squabble between the Hermann brothers, it was the elder son Rubin who won the individual battle, playing superbly to register the Royals’ top score of 81 not out.

Jordan wasn’t bad when it came his turn to bat, making up for dropping his brother twice, by scoring 69 off 48 balls as the Sunrisers reached a target of 176 with four balls to spare.

He shared a match-winning partnership of 111 for the second wicket with Tony de Zorzi, who produced some adventurous shot-making in an innings of 78 that drew a standing ovation at what was once his home ground.

De Zorzi drove and pulled the ball with power and panache to knock the stuffing out of the Royals.

Besides helping his side into a third final, it will also provide a significant boost for his confidence ahead of joining up with the Proteas in Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.

Rob Walter is not short of options at the top of the order and, crucially, all the players are in form.   

Earlier, Rubin Hermann took advantage of three slices of good fortune to control his side’s innings in a manner that Root had done so effectively earlier in the tournament.

Another brief innings from the Australian replacement for Root, Mitchell Owen, saw Rubin Hermann at the crease in the second over, and he promptly clipped his first two deliveries through midwicket for four off Marco Jansen, while the third delivery was smacked to the point boundary.

Lhuan-dre Pretorius mixed thunderous striking with some deft touches to get singles but also wasted several deliveries by attempting to hit the ball too hard.

Rubin Hermann’s first slice of luck arrived in the seventh over when Aiden Markram dropped him as he completed his follow-through.

It was a simple opportunity that a player of Markram’s ability would have expected to hold and the miss, with Hermann on 17, proved expensive.

Pretorius reached a half-century, making up for the first ball duck he got at SuperSport Park — his provincial home ground — in the round-robin phase, but his wicket in the 13th over brought the momentum of the innings to a halt.

The Royals lost three wickets for 21 runs in 22 balls, including the experienced David Miller and Dinesh Karthik.

Rubin Hermann stayed calm, and with his brother dropping him on 59 and then 79, shared a partnership of 49 in conjunction with Andile Phehlukwayo, who hit two sixes in a quick-fire 22 not out off 21 balls.

It helped the Royals reach an under-par but still competitive 175/4.

The elder Hermann’s 81 not out came off 53 balls and included eight fours and three sixes.

 It was 12 runs better than his younger brother managed, but while their father, Marius, would have been delighted for them both, it was Jordan who wore the bigger smile afterwards.

He and the Sunrisers will chase a three-peat at the Wanderers on Saturday. — TimesLIVE