Watch: Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain Aiden Markram pulled off a remarkable one-handed, flying catch at mid-on to dismiss JJ Smuts of Durban’s Super Giants in a SA20 game yesterday (February 6).
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Batting first after winning the toss, Sunrisers put up 157 on the board from their 20 overs. Dawid Malan top-scored with a 45-ball 63. Markram (30 off 23) and Jordan Hermann (21 off 19) played useful hands as well. For DSG, Keshav Maharaj was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2-30 from his four overs.
The Durban chase started off poorly. They lost both their openers – Tony de Zorzi and Matthew Breetzke – for single-digit scores. JJ Smuts came out to bat at 13-2 in the fourth over and would have hoped to resurrect the innings but was sent packing by a piece of athletic brilliance from the SEC skipper.
Ottniel Baartman bowled a short ball outside off which Smuts tried to force over mid-on. Markram, who was standing close at a single-saving position, leapt with an outstretched right hand and managed to grab hold of the ball over his head while falling backwards, leaving everyone watching in awe.
Wiaan Mulder then stitched a couple of partnerships, with Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen, but Marco Jansen and Baartman blew away the rest of the DSG batting line up, taking four wickets each to bundle them out for 106 and winning the match by 51 runs.
With the victory, SEC finished the league stage at the top of the table with 33 points from 10 games, gaining a direct entry into the final of the tournament, to be played in Cape Town on February 10.
Watch Aiden Markram take a flying, one-handed blinder at mid-on:
𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝, 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞.. 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧. 🦸♂️#Betway #SA20 #Playoffs #SECvDSG #WelcomeToIncredible pic.twitter.com/WFz4dZJvPW
— Betway SA20 (@SA20_League) February 6, 2024