Ruthless JSK Shatters Sunrisers’ Winning Streak: A Game to Remember
CricketPanditA dominant performance from Joburg Super Kings led to a convincing nine-wicket victory over Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the Wanderers on Sunday (January 26). Choosing to bowl first, Lutho Sipamla (3-13) set the stage with an impressive opening spell, while Hardus Viljoen (4-24) caused a dramatic collapse at the end, leaving the visitors with a meager total of 118. Devon Conway (76*) spearheaded the chase, which the hosts completed with six overs remaining, also earning a bonus point in the process. This defeat marked the end of Sunrisers’ four-match winning streak.
Initially, it didn’t appear that the match would be so lopsided after the first look at the pitch, which seemed favorable for batting. However, like other surfaces at the venue, the new ball posed a challenge, and Sunrisers once again succumbed to poor shot selection and weak technique. Zak Crawley narrowly avoided a first-ball duck in the previous match when Sipamla overstepped, but he wasn’t so fortunate this time. A fast outswinger caught the edge, which was easily taken at first slip, setting the tone for the Super Kings’ control.
Tom Abell fell in the same over, the first of the match, dragging one onto his stumps and leaving the tourists at 0/2. Jordan Hermann, who was promoted to number four, was the next to go as Sipamla had him caught behind in his next over. Viljoen then dismissed Aiden Markram for a golden duck, leaving Sunrisers reeling at 17/4 during the powerplay. Amid the chaos, David Bedingham (48 off 40) found his rhythm with a few elegant boundaries, receiving some support from Tristan Stubbs (37 off 38), who took his time during their partnership.
Bedingham had to take on the bulk of the scoring, which ultimately led to his downfall when he miscued Imran Tahir to long-off. The 57-run partnership provided some relief for the Sunrisers, and Stubbs teamed up with Marco Jansen (22 off 18) for another crucial partnership. They added 41 runs at a slightly improved pace, but the early loss of wickets forced them to hold back on their push for a competitive total. Unfortunately, that push never materialized as Jansen fell to a soft dismissal, and Stubbs was run out on the very next ball.
Beyers Swanepoel and Ottniel Baartman didn’t contribute much, as the Sunrisers lost their last five wickets for just three runs. The only chance the defending champions had to make a game of it was to take a few wickets during the powerplay. However, Conway and Faf du Plessis made sure that didn’t happen, although du Plessis fell just before the end of the six-over mark. Conway continued and formed a match-sealing partnership of 85 with Wihan Lubbe (25 off 17), leading the home side to victory with style. To be fair to the Sunrisers, they were at least 50 runs short of a competitive score.
Brief scores: Sunrisers Eastern Cape 118 all out in 19 overs (David Bedingham 48; Hardus Viljoen 4-24, Lutho Sipamla 3-13) lost to Joburg Super Kings 119/1 in 14 overs (Devon Conway 76*, Wihan Lubbe 25*) by nine wick
