In the first ‘Qualifier’ match of the 2024 edition of SA20, Durban’s Super Giants will be taking on Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town. The match scheduled for Tuesday will be crucial for both teams as the team winning will book a place in the final of the tournament while the losing side will get one more chance in the form of Qualifier 2.
Durban’s Super Giants performed well in the league round of the SA20 as they finished in second place in the points table, with seven wins and three losses. Batting has been one of the biggest strengths of the team with players like JJ Smuts and Heinrich Klaasen in the roaster.
As far as Sunrisers Eastern Cape is concerned, they emerged as the top side in the group stage with seven victories, two losses, and one abandoned match. The Sunrisers have excelled in all the departments, be it batting, bowling, or fielding. Dawid Malan, Temba Bavuma, and Aiden Markram will be the top players for the team.
What has happened so far?
Speaking of Durban Super Giants, they started on a good note with three consecutive matches. However, what followed after that was two losses against the Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape. The team bounced back with four wins, but they lost their last match against the Joburg Super Kings.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape are in excellent form in the league as they are currently riding on a four-match winning streak. They won their last four matches against MI Cape Town, Joburg Super Kings, and Paarl Royals. The team lost only two games in the tournament against the Super Giants and the Capitals.
Head to Head Record
Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Durban’s Super Giants have played a total of four games so far against each other in the SA20 history. SEC has emerged victorious in the head-to-head record with two wins, while the Super Giants have recorded only one victory. One game between the two sides ended without any result because of poor weather conditions.
Notably, this will be the third time that the two sides will clash against each other in the 2024 edition. Their first battle saw DSG scoring a win by 35 runs by defending 225 runs in their allotted 20 overs, while the second match saw SEC winning by five wickets.
Key Players
Heinrich Klaasen (Durban’s Super Giants): Heinrich Klaasen is likely to be the top performer for Durban’s Super Giants on Tuesday as they will battle it out against Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the first qualifier.
The 32-year-old has flaunted fine form in the tournament so far with a total of 350 runs to his name in ten matches at an exceptional average of over 43. Though DSG lost the last match to JSK, Heinrich looked in his element as he churned out a knock of 40 runs off just 16 balls.
Daniel Worrall (Sunrisers Eastern Cape): One of the reasons behind Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s stunning performance in the SA20 2024 has been the outstanding form of the seamer Daniel Worrall. He is topping the wicket-taking charts with a total of 15 wickets to his name in nine matches at an average of 18.53.
Daniel Worrall is the top wicket-taker in the tournament
Worrall failed to make a mark in the last game against Paarl Royals as he ended up conceding an alarming 41 runs in four overs at an economy rate of 10.2 while picking up one wicket in the form of Dane Vilas. However, the odds are in his favor to make a comeback on Tuesday.
Predicted XIs
Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Dawid Malan, Temba Bavuma, Jordan Hermann, Aiden Markram ©, Tristan Stubbs(w), Liam Dawson, Patrick Kruger, Beyers Swanepoel, Simon Harmer, Daniel Worrall, Ottniel Baartman
Durban’s Super Giants: Matthew Breetzke (wk), Tony de Zorzi, JJ Smuts, Heinrich Klaasen, Keemo Paul, Wiaan Mulder, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj ©, Noor Ahmad, Reece Topley, Naveen-ul-Haq
Prediction
In the first qualifier of the 2024 edition of the SA20, the odds are in favor of Sunrisers Eastern Cape to defeat Durban’s Super Giants and book a berth in the final.
The Sunrisers have been on a roll in the tournament, having won seven of ten league matches to occupy the first place in the points table. The team did exceptionally well in their last league match, as well by defeating Paarl Royals by five wickets, and are likely to continue the momentum on Tuesday.
Durban’s Super Giants are also expected to put up a good show, but their last defeat against the Super Kings might have hampered their confidence.