Sunrisers Eastern Cape edge Pretoria Capitals in SA20 final thriller

Sunrisers Eastern Cape pulled off an incredible heist to secure a third Betway SA20 championship in a thrilling final at Newlands on Sunday.

Dewald Brevis’ magnificent 101 had seemingly set up the Pretoria Capitals for their maiden title, but Sunrisers captain Tristan Stubbs (62 not out off 41 balls) and Matthew Breetzke (68 not out off 50 balls) delivered an unbroken 114-run partnership to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Sunrisers appeared dead and buried when they required 56 runs from the final four overs. Breetzke had held the innings together with 45 off 41 balls at that point, but he needed a partner to inject impetus from the other end.

Enter Stubbs.

The Sunrisers captain had been guilty of not seizing the momentum earlier in the competition, but on this grand occasion, the skipper took no prisoners.

The game-changer was Gideon Peters' 17th over. The young Capitals paceman felt the pressure, conceding 21 runs, which included a wide and a no-ball free hit that Breetzke smashed for six. From there, the momentum was with the Sunrisers. A further 12 runs came off Lungi Ngidi's penultimate over, leaving nine runs required off the final six balls.

Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj had miscalculated his bowling options and was forced to use part-timer Bryce Parsons for the final over. Stubbs seized the moment, smashing Parsons for two consecutive sixes off the first two balls to send the "Orange Army" into a state of delirium.

Earlier, Dewald Brevis repaid every cent of his record R16.5 million auction price with a century for the ages. When Sourav Ganguly smashed the ceiling in a bidding war to bring Brevis home to Centurion, many felt the youngster would be overwhelmed by the hefty price tag. For most of the tournament, the weight of expectation seemed too heavy as Brevis struggled through the group stages.

But players like Brevis are born for the big occasion. Having blitzed an unbeaten 75 in Qualifier One against the Sunrisers at Kingsmead, he followed it up with a magical 101 off 56 balls (8x4, 7x6) in the grand final. The sold-out Newlands crowd was treated to a batting masterclass filled with exquisite punches off the back foot and sumptuous straight drives.

The innings carried even greater gravitas as Brevis walked to the crease with the Capitals in trouble at 8/2. He instantly switched the momentum by counter-attacking against seamer Lutho Sipamla before launching left-arm spinner James Coles all over Newlands.

To comprehend the magnitude of Brevis’ innings, the remainder of the Capitals' batting line-up managed just 57 runs, with only Bryce Parsons (30) and Sherfane Rutherford (17) passing double figures.

Despite Brevis' brilliance, the Sunrisers held their nerve at the death. Marco Jansen delivered an excellent spell of 3/10 from his four overs, including a maiden, while Anrich Nortje was equally effective with 1/19. The Capitals added just three runs in the final 12 balls following Brevis' dismissal, a drought that ultimately proved the difference in a thrilling final.