SA20 Final: key batters and bowlers in the decider
Pretoria Capitals finished top of the SA20 standings but had to turn to their deep bowling attack that includes Anrich Nortje, Adil Rashid and Jimmy Neesham to hold off Paarl Royals in their semi-final.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape took a tougher route to the knockout stages, only securing third spot on net run rate ahead of Paarl Royals and Durban’s Super Giants.
But skipper Aiden Markram ensured they would make the most of their opportunity with a ton from 58 balls that set up an upset victory over Joburg Super Kings in their semi-final.
With the first-ever SA20 title now on the line we look at the key batter and bowler for each team that could make their mark in the Final:
The powerhouse batter was well below his best throughout the SA20 group stages, scoring only 127 runs in 10 innings.
But Rossouw turned up when the stakes were at their highest in the semi-final against Paarl Royals.
The 33-year-old came to the crease with Pretoria Capitals on the brink of trouble at 37/2 in the seventh over, but settled in for a composed innings of 56 from 41 balls to be top-scorer in a total 153/8.
Rossouw may well blast a quickfire fifty to take the game away from Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 Final, but showed in the semi-final that he can just as easily play an innings to suit the occasion.
Markram was rightly Player of the Match for his fine semi-final century that steered Sunrisers Eastern Cape to an imposing 213/5, but he has also been one of the form players of the SA20.
The 28-year-old has been a consistent contributor with the bat and has 340 runs from 11 SA20 innings at a strike rate of 127.34.
With 52 runs in the Final, Markram would rise to the top of the SA20 runs table and all but ensure Sunrisers Eastern Cape are in with a real shot at victory.
The off-spinner has also proved valuable with the ball and has 10 scalps at an average of 14.4 while restricting the opposition to just 6.54 runs an over.
The South Africa speedster has been the standout bowler in the inaugural SA20, terrorising opposition batters with his pace and leading all-comers for wickets.
Nortje has claimed 18 scalps at an average of only 13.55, while only giving up 6.28 runs an over.
The 29-year-old has taken a wicket in all but one of his 10 SA20 matches, including 2/18 the first time these two teams met.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape will hope to instead repeat their efforts from their second clash, when an unusually wayward Nortje had to settle for 1/37 from four overs.
Evergreen all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe has been a revelation with 16 wickets at an average of just 10 but Marco Jansen looms as the crucial player to Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s chances.
The 22-year-old Jansen had more impact with the bat than the ball early in the SA20 but has found his rhythm with wickets in the past four matches.
The left-armer has only taken seven wickets at an average of 36.14 in 11 SA20 matches, but with his express pace could do damage to Pretoria Capitals top order to quickly turn the Final.
Every ball of the SA20 will be LIVE on ICC.tv.
Fans in**** Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Caribbean, Nepal, New Zealand, the US and many other regions can watch the SA20 on ICC.tv.
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