The SA20 turns its attention to the playoffs this week with the hugely entertaining competition culminating at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The first Qualifier between the table-toppers MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals is set to be hosted at St George’s Park in Gqeberha.
The surface at St George’s Park – home of the Sunrisers Eastern Cape – has proved particularly difficult upfront with the fast bowlers gaining significant movement with the new ball.
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This has led to the top-order batters having to be more circumspect in the Powerplay.
Sunrisers’ 50/2 in their last game against Paarl Royals was the best total within the first six overs, while ironically in the same game, the Royals slumped to the lowest total of 25/5.
Batters that have prepared to do the hard graft have been able to prosper later as Sunrisers captain Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs have shown in previous matches there.
It does seem like a surface tailormade for MI Cape Town batters Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks, who are both prepared to bide their time at the outset.
Paarl Royals’ No. 3 Ronan Hermann will need to take over Joe Root’s role of looking to bat through the innings as new opening pair Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Mitchell Owen are unlikely to alter their natural attacking gameplans.
“One thing I have noticed here is that the condition of the wickets changes everywhere,” said MI Cape Town captain Rashid Khan.
“You have to face different conditions, different wickets. And you have to know how to play in those conditions.
“But the good thing about this team is we have the players who give us the best information. And especially the coach (Robin Peterson) he gives us very good information from there. So, we have that kind of conversation as a team with him. He has been there for long.”
The SA20 caravan moves on to Centurion for the Eliminator with the loser between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings heading home.
It also, of course, a rematch of the Season 1 second semifinal played at the very same venue.
Centurion has once again lived up to its reputation as the highest-scoring ground in the competition with three 200-plus totals posted there.
It is not just the perfect batting surface, but also the dimensions – both square and straight – along with the rarified Highveld air that sees the ball travelling to the grass banks with frequency.
It is no surprise that Centurion holds the record for the most SA20 Catch R2million crowd catches.
Sunrisers skipper Markram particularly enjoys batting at Centurion – which is of course where he’s played out his entire domestic career – with his century in the Season 1 semifinal against JSK being a particular highlight.
He will be hoping for a repeat act on Wednesday to lead his team to Qualifier 2 at the same venue the following day.
After just a day’s interlude, the teams head to the Wanderers for the grand final on Saturday.
The Bullring is South Africa’s premier venue having hosted the 2003 ICC World Cup final and the 2007 T20 World Cup final alongside the SA20 Season 1 final.
Indian fans will particularly remember both World Cup finals – albeit with contrasting emotions – after Zaheer Khan’s horror opening over set the tone for the defeat to Australia in 2003 before MS Dhoni’s team created history and changed the entire cricketing landscape by beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the inaugural T20 World Cup final four years later.
The surface has changed over the years, especially for those who fondly remember the epic “438” match played there between South Africa and Australia.
It still offers pace and bounce but has in recent times also offered the spinners greater assistance.
And like at Centurion, the Highveld air hasn’t changed as batters certainly get extra value for their shots with mishits often flying into the stands.
The stage has been set for an intriguing week of playoff action and it is most likely the team that adapts best to the conditions will be left standing on the podium with the glittering SA20 trophy.
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