Worst starts in SA20, full list: Discarded England all-rounder blows away Paarl top order for record low

Eastern Cape put on 148-8 on the board in their 20 overs after choosing to bat first with Jordan Hermann (53 off 38) and Tristan Stubbs (43 off 27) doing the bulk of the scoring. Bjorn Fortuin (2-20), Eshan Malinga (2-23), and Mitchell Owen (2-36) shared six wickets amongst themselves.

Craig Overton and Marco Jansen run through Paarl batting

Overton, who has played eight Tests and seven ODIs for England, opened the bowling for SEC and struck in the very first over, getting opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius caught by Jansen for three off five balls.

It was Jansen's turn next as the South African seamer dismissed Big Bash hero Mitchell Owen in the second over before Overton returned to peg Paarl Royals further back with a double strike in the third, leaving them reeling at 13-4. The flurry of wickets continued as Jansen dismissed Dunith Wellalage in the fourth over to reduce Paarl to 22-5.

Paarl were eventually bowled out for 100, losing the match by 48 runs. Overton finished with figures of 3-15 from four overs, his joint-second most economical four-over spell in his T20 career. The last time he represented England was in an ODI against India in 2022.

What are the worst starts in SA20 history?

22 is the lowest score for which a team has lost their first five wickets in the history of the SA20. The previous lowest score at the fall of the fifth wicket in SA20 was 25, when Joburg Super Kings had lost half their side by the seventh over against Paarl, who were at the receiving end today. Fortuin was the destoryer-in-chief then, taking three of the first five wickets to fall.

Overall, it was the third instance of a team losing five wickets for less than 30 in SA20. The corresponding lowest scores for the fall of the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth wickets in the tournament's history are: 33, 36, 47, 52, and 52.