At a sold-out St George’s Park on Thursday, MI Cape Town (MICT) defeated Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC), the reigning champions, by a resounding 97 runs to put their SA20 Season 3 off to a flawless start. The Orange Army was disappointed by MICT’s outstanding performance, despite the fact that thousands of people had turned out to welcome home the back-to-back champions.
Robin Peterson’s MICT team dominated every aspect of the game that evening. Dewald Brevis helped the visitors reach 174/7 with a scorching 57 off just 29 balls (2×4; 6×6), and Trent Boult and Delano Potgieter combined to dismiss the Sunrisers for 77. However, it was the New Zealand international Boult (2/16) who set the tone with an incredible new-ball effort that produced a double-wicket maiden third over, even if Potgieter won the dreamy career-best numbers of 5/10.
The 35-year-old opened the England Test for Sunrisers with a brilliant swing of the new ball back into the right-hander, which was the result of his exceptional skill. Boult demonstrated that he will be a valuable addition to the MICT team as well as to the League as a whole. His exceptional skill level is sure to draw attention at all of the league’s locations around the nation.
The victory was the first time MI Cape Town had defeated the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in five tries since SA20 began.
The Rising Star’s performance in the competition opener at Newlands two seasons ago was a crucial factor in the victory, so it was only natural that Brevis played a significant part in it.
The 21-year-old started off hitting the ball cleanly and in excellent form. First he had to take on Liam Dawson and Simon Harmer’s dual spin before hitting seamer Beyers Swanepoel with consecutive sixes. Brevis’ half-dozen sixes were grabbed in the crowd one-handed by Christopher Moolman, the first person to enter the Season 3 Catch R2-million competition.
The momentum was sustained by Potgieter (25 not out, 12 balls) and George Linde (23 not out, 17 balls) with an uninterrupted 41-run partnership, despite MICT losing Brevis going into the final five overs. The two took 24 runs off Sunrisers’ Marco Jansen’s last over, which turned the tide in MICT’s favour and gave them the lead they would never give up.
At the Wanderers on Saturday, MICT will try to keep up their winning streak against the Johannesburg Super Kings, while Sunrisers will try to recover against the Paarl Royals at Boland Park on the same day.
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