The Sunrisers Eastern Cape have all the right stuff to win a third consecutive SA20 league, after beating the Paarl Royals on Saturday night, batting coach Russell Domingo said.
SEC won the toss and chose to bat first at St George’s and hoped to put up a target between 150-160 runs. They eventually reached 148/8 during the first innings, and managed to defend the total by dismissing Royals for 100.
SEC have qualified for the ‘Eliminator’ against the Joburg Super Kings on Wednesday at SuperSport Park as a result, and will hope to use their experience in the tournament to their advantage.
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“From the start, we had 80 after 10 and were in a good position,” Domingo reflected after the match.
“We were thinking we had to get over 160 because we started really well ... We were probably 10 or 15 short of where we should have been. But you are never going to play the perfect game and I’m really happy with the way we started because we haven’t been starting well these last couple weeks. It was a big improvement in the first 10 overs.
“Historically, in day games, the wicket tends to get a little slower. At night you can chase better because the ball skids a little better. Plus Paarl spin options, we thought it would be better to use the pitch first.”
SEC’s opening pair Tony de Zorzi and David Bedingham did not get off to a good start, which has been a bit of a trend in the SA20 recently but an experienced middle-order pushed them through.
Domingo, however, revealed SEC head coach Adrien Birrell has been excellent at keeping the players calm, regardless of the state of play. This has helped the team get over bad performances and brush up on the good ones.
The championship experience at the tail-end of the tournament is what is likely to give SEC an added advantage over the Super Kings later this week.
“I think we are very fortunate that the team has been in this position before,” he explained.
“They have played in knockout competitions before and come out on top so there is a lot of belief that on that day they can beat anybody. They can put in big performances in the big moments.
“So, there’s no rocket science, we just have to do the basics really well on Wednesday that sort of gives us a chance. We know JSK are a really good side and play good cricket. We are confident but we know we have to do the basics better than we’ve done it this past couple weeks ...
“We’ve been here before and been successful in the past. I think it's about keeping a balance and he’s been fantastic at that,” Domingo concluded.