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Proteas opener Tony de Zorzi has joined the Sunrisers Eastern Cape as an option to stablise their faltering top order. Picture: GALLO IMAGES/GRANT PITCHER
Proteas opener Tony de Zorzi has joined the Sunrisers Eastern Cape as an option to stablise their faltering top order. Picture: GALLO IMAGES/GRANT PITCHER

Cricket players say they focus on the present rather than looking too far ahead but the Sunrisers Eastern Cape will no doubt be coveting second spot on the table to ensure a home qualifier in the SA20.

Once they had figured out what went awry in the nine-wicket loss in Johannesburg on Sunday, the defending champions’ attention would have quickly shifted to their final two round-robin games.

The top four teams qualify for the playoffs with positions one and two playing in the first qualifier at St George’s Park and the winner going straight through to the final.

Third and fourth place then contest an eliminator with the winner facing the loser from the Gqeberha match in the second qualifier.

Both these matches will be played at Centurion. The winner of the second qualifier completes the line-up for the final at the Wanderers.

For the third-placed Sunrisers, victory in their last two pool matches will go some way to seeing them book a spot to play in the first qualifier in front of their patriotic and raucous Orange Army.

Three consecutive victories last week will bear testimony to how difficult the Sunrisers are to beat in the cauldron that is St George’s Park no matter the opposition.

Achieving that second-place berth will not be easy though.

On Wednesday (5.30pm), Aiden Markram’s team face second-placed MI Cape Town at Newlands needing to get their ducks in a row or under control rather — there were five of them in the batting line-up against the Joburg Super Kings on Sunday.

They finish the group stage with a blockbuster fixture against the Paarl Royals at St George’s Park on Saturday (1pm).

But it’s away form that has troubled the two-time champions with only one victory on the road in four games.

And it’s not difficult to work out that the top-order batting has been a problem.

Englishman Zak Crawley has endured a nightmare tournament at the top of the order, averaging only 11 in eight games.

His compatriot Tom Abell, is only marginally better with 15.75 in as many matches.

Homeboy Jordan Hermann has struggled to a lowly 8.67 in one fixture less while the others in the top order have at some stage all contributed to chaotic power plays, at home and away.

Tristan Stubbs has not enjoyed the form that made him such a sought-after player in 2024, though there have been glimpses of him perhaps having turned the corner.

After the euphoria of four consecutive wins, the loss in Johannesburg will have taken some wind out of the Sunrisers’ sails.

“It was a tough day at the office,” captain Markram said.

“The power play with the bat … we fell so far behind in the game that it was tough.

“It’s time to get our heads down, work harder and go on to Newlands.

“It’s always a good show there and, hopefully, we can put together a good game of cricket with the batters and bowlers firing.”

There is some fresh blood in the squad with Proteas opening batter Tony de Zorzi coming in to replace all-rounder Patrick Kruger, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

It’s a seemingly deliberate attempt to bolster their batting.

De Zorzi’s T20 career strike rate of 117.21 is nothing to write home about but he could bring the stability at the top of the order the Sunrisers will crave for the final throws of the dice.

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