Red-hot Jansen steers Sunrisers to the double over Cape Town

A blistering 66 runs from Sunrisers Eastern Cape all-rounder Marco Jansen saw his team to another nail-biting two-wicket victory over MI Cape Town in their SA20 fixture at Newlands on Wednesday.

The tall right-hander belted three fours and seven sixes, including four maximums off MI Cape Town skipper Rashid Khan in the 16th over, to reach his score in just 28 deliveries.

His heroics meant the Sunrisers were able to complete the double over MICT in two successive matches as the team moved up out of the last position in the standings.

Earlier, Ryan Rickelton and Grant Roelofsen shared an impressive 102 runs from just 69 balls alongside a late unbeaten 48 between Odean Smith and Delano Potgieter as the hosts reached 171/6.

In pursuit of 172 for victory, the visitors reached 45/3  inside the first six overs.

Jon-Jon Smuts (4) was the first to go, expertly run out by England pace bowler Jofra Archer, who collected the ball in his delivery follow-through, swivelled around, and hit the target with the total on 14.

Adam Rossington and Sarel Erwee took the score to 35 before the Englishman was caught by George Linde off Archer, with Erwee (19) trapped leg before wicket by Rabada.

Skipper Aiden Markram was bowled by Khan off the first ball of his spell for 12, having added 17 with Tristan Stubbs.

Former Grey High star Stubbs hit three huge sixes off Khan’s second over as he made 28, with the dangerous right-hander caught on the boundary by Rickelton off Sam Curran with the Sunrisers on 91 and half their side out.

Cox scored 13 off 18 but was run out shortly after the men in orange crossed the 100-run mark.

Jansen’s late flurry brought up his maiden T20 half-century off 20 balls. He shared in a 53-run eighth-wicket partnership with Brydon Carse, who scored just five of those before both men fell to Rabada. After the Sunrisers won the toss, MICT teenage star Dewald Brevis edged Sisanda Magala to Smuts at first slip with just seven runs on the board in the second over.

Grant Roelofsen, who was dropped by Smuts on naught in the same Magala over, made the Sunrisers rue that miss and went on to register a half-century as he and Rickelton (45) shared 102 runs from just 69 balls to take their side to 109.

Rickelton (46) fell when Roelof van der Merwe took a smart catch coming in off the boundary before Roelofsen (56) was also caught in the deep, by Jordan Cox, to hand Ottniel Baartman his second wicket.

The home side’s batting order collapsed like a house of cards, going from 110/3 to 122/6, in little more than three overs as Van der Merwe claimed the wickets of George Linde (8) before having another left-hander in Sam Curran caught on the boundary by Markram for a duck.

Markram bowled Rassie van der Dussen (4), who attempted a sweep shot, before Odean Smith and Delano Potgieter then combined for a late cameo, scoring an unbeaten 48 to take their side past 170.