Ken Borland

Sunrisers Eastern Cape coach Adrian Birrell is ever-pragmatic and measured, and he did not need to ruminate long for the reasons behind his team’s 76-run defeat at the hands of MI Cape Town in the SA20 final at the Wanderers on Saturday evening: They were simply the better team.

MI Cape Town were just better on the night (and probably all season, to be fair) in all three departments as the two-time defending champions failed to pull off what would have been an incredible hat-trick of titles. To win a T20 competition three seasons in a row is incredibly rare; locally, only the Titans have managed it (2015/16-2017/18) and Jaffna Kings in Sri Lanka and Sialkot Stallions in Pakistan are believed to be the only other franchises to have pulled it off.

Everything went right for MI Cape Town as they won the toss and bucked the recent trend and elected to bat first at the Wanderers. Runs on the board in a final are worth more and Ryan Rickelton (33 off 15) and Rassie van der Dussen (23 off 25), the best opening pair in the competition, wasted no time in claiming the advantage. They hit an astonishing six sixes in the first five overs in a first-wicket stand of 51, and although Sunrisers fought back well to claim four wickets in the next six overs, MI Cape Town had important contributions from Connor Esterhuizen (39 off 26) and Dewald Brevis (38 off 18) which enabled them to post 181 for eight.

It was a good score on a Wanderers pitch on which the ball sometimes gripped and turned; the class new-ball bowling of Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada soon turned it into a formidable score. While MI Cape Town had raced to 51 without loss in the first five overs, Sunrisers struggled to 25 for two.

From there it was always going to be an uphill task for the defending champions, and they were eventually bowled out for 105 in the 19^th over.

Left-armer Boult set the tone with two for nine in his four overs, while Rabada wrapped up the victory to claim four for 25. In between, spinners Rashid Khan (4-0-19-1) and George Linde (4-0-20-2) bowled brilliantly.

“Credit to MI Cape Town, they played a really good game of cricket,” Birrell said afterwards. “They have been the most consistent side and they deserve the trophy. I thought 180 was about par, but the ball swung a bit tonight and they have a formidable attack which was really good tonight.

“It’s very difficult to chase 180 when you get behind the game and they bowled very well. And they played a different brand to us with the bat – they hit 15 sixes and only eight fours, usually it’s the other way round. The ball carried well here and that hurt us,” Birrell said.

MI Cape Town captain Rashid Khan was delighted by the most dominant SA20 campaign yet. His team were able to amass the most log points (35) in the history of the competition and then won their qualifier by 39 runs and the final by 76.

“I’m definitely happy because last year and the year before we finished bottom, now we have won the final and scored the most points in the group stage, to win five matches with bonus points is unbelievable. Everyone contributed, we won as a team and did not depend on one or two guys,” Rashid said.

New Zealand star Boult, who claimed 11 wickets in the tournament and conceded just 6.94 runs-per-over, certainly did not mean it in any derogatory way when he said MI Cape Town had a very simple on-field approach and a harmonious changeroom that ensured a positive environment.

“We just tried to keep things very simple: bat first and put runs on the board and then unleash our experienced bowling attack. I could sense the unity when I walked into the changeroom on January 1 and we were able to keep things similar through the whole competition. It was a true collective effort.

“I’m very fortunate to play for such a great franchise as the Mumbai Indians group and this is my fourth trophy with them. We have very great owners and they provide a great environment to perform, while expecting us to do a good job,” Boult said.

Pakistan ended the second day of the first Test against South Africa three wickets down in their second innings and still two runs behind, a poor position that does not reflect the pressure they put the Proteas under at SuperSport Park on Friday.

Babar Azam (16*) and Saud Shakeel (8*) were at the crease when bad light stopped play at 5pm with Pakistan on 88 for three. The visitors were no doubt quite happy to retire to the safety of their changeroom as it had been a disappointing previous hour for them as they failed to capitalise on an opening stand of 49 between Saim Ayub (27) and Shan Masood (28).

South Africa were most relieved to have gained a first-innings lead of 90, thanks to dream-debutant Corbin Bosch and the help of the tail, because they bowled poorly for the first 10 overs of Pakistan’s second innings.

Kagiso Rabada eventually broke the opening stand with a tremendous delivery: angled in from around the wicket to the left-handed Saim, it then seamed and bounced past his outside edge and hit the top of off-stump.

Marco Jansen was off-colour in the first innings, but he then produced an excellent spell of two for 17 in four overs late in the day. Shan was smartly taken in the slips by Tristan Stubbs, who had a rough time in the cordon on the first day, and Kamran Ghulam fell for four in similar fashion.

But Ghulam, Pakistan’s top-scorer in the first innings with 54, looked the victim of bad luck as Ryan Rickelton did superbly to scoop up an edge diving forward in the gully. TV replays suggested the ball had bounced just before he got his fingers around it, but third umpire Kumar Dharmasena gave him out.

That the Proteas had a lead as significant as 90 runs was thanks to Bosch, who scored a tenacious 81 not out off 93 deliveries, with 15 fours. He came to the crease after some poor batting by South Africa had seen them slide from 178 for four to 191 for seven, with Naseem Shah taking three wickets.

He joined Aiden Markram at the crease, with the opening batsman casting aside some near misses recently as he stroked a brilliant 89 off 144 balls. It was a defiant innings as he stuck around for four-and-a-half hours on a sporty pitch, but it was also filled with some gorgeous strokeplay as he collected 15 fours.

But when Markram finally fell, caught behind gloving a hook at Khurram Shehzad, the Proteas were 213 for eight, leading by just two runs.

But Bosch, playing positively but sensibly, took control as he continued his outstanding first-class form with the bat. He added 41 for the ninth wicket with Kagiso Rabada (13) and a delightful 47 for the last wicket with Dane Paterson (12), taking his first-class average this season to 96!

Bosch is the first player to take four wickets in an innings and score a half-century on his Test debut for South Africa, although Queenstown-born Tony Greig scored 62 and 57 and took four for 53 on debut for England, against Australia at Old Trafford in 1972. Eleven other debutants have achieved the feat in all Test cricket.

“Corbin’s innings made a huge difference. At one stage it looked like we would only have a lead of 15 to 20 runs. But now Pakistan are effectively none for three and we’ve managed to get a bit ahead in the game, even though we didn’t land the ball as we wanted this afternoon,” Markram said after the close of play.

“Corbin is having a special debut, it looks easy this Test cricket thing for him! It was a hugely valuable knock, probably worth more than a hundred. He’s really talented and he’s grafted really hard to get here. He still has a lot more to offer the Proteas.”

Markram’s impressive innings comes as a relief to himself and his many fans; since his century against India on an even more treacherous pitch at Newlands in January, he had made just one half-century in 10 innings midway through the second Test against Sri Lanka at St George’s Park at the start of this month. But through all that period, he had looked so good at the crease, almost imperious.

He made 55 in the second innings in Gqeberha and backed it up with even more on Friday.

“It was really frustrating because I felt I was moving well and seeing the ball well, but I was finding interesting ways to get out. It would have been different if I was scratching around and felt out of touch. But it still plays on you because you want to contribute to the team winning. Hopefully this can turn things around now,” Markram said after his 13^th Test half-century.

“Today there was an ebb and flow to my innings. At times I got into a rhythm when I was moving well, but at other times it feels like you’re fighting with yourself. I was just trying to leave well but also balance that with the desire to score. There were certain lengths that if the bowler hit them then you’re just trying to get through it somehow. But then you need to have the intensity to score around those lengths.

“You don’t want to make it too complicated, but you get good value for your shots on the Highveld, so I like to be positive up here. If the bowlers don’t land the ball in the right areas then the pitch is nice to bat on, but if they zone in on the right spots then it becomes tough to bat. You need to spend time out there, get a feel for it, but the ball keeps nibbling around,” Markram said.

Sharks head coach Neil Powell has stayed behind at the team’s Kings Park base but is optimistic that his stand-in, Currie Cup mentor Joey Mongalo, will be able to return from Galway with the points although they are taking on tricky Connacht with a second-string side.

While Powell and most of the first-choice stars in the Sharks squad are focusing on the crucial Champions Cup match against Bordeaux-Begles next week, just three Springboks are in the squad to play Connacht, with three potential URC debutants on the bench.

Ntuthuko Mchunu will anchor the scrum (with Carlu Sadie), Rohan Janse van Rensburg will bring plenty of punch to the midfield, and scrumhalf Grant Williams is a potentially lethal substitute.

Former Free State Cheetahs lock Ockie Barnard, Currie Cup utility forward Corne Rahl and former Westville Boys High centre Ethan Hooker could be thrown into the deep end, with The Sports Ground being a daunting venue to play, especially in midwinter. Young Nevaldo Fleurs is the starting flyhalf, with Lionel Cronje on the bench.

“We see this as an all-round opportunity to develop and Joey has the chance to show what he is capable of. He’s been at that level before as the Bulls’ defence coach,” director of rugby Powell said on Friday.

“Joey is a great person and coach, he’s full of energy and I know he will definitely motivate and fire up the guys. We have tasked them with coming back with the points.

“It’s important for us to manage our squad well, this selection is part of our rotation policy. If I look at our travel schedule over the next few weeks then I cannot imagine one team playing all those games.

“We want as much as energy as possible when we get to games 10 and 11 of this block, this is number seven, so we’re in the middle of it. We also want to create squad depth,” Powell said.

Before the Sharks eventually disband on February 4 for a one-week break, they host Bordeaux in the Champions Cup in Durban next weekend, and then travel to Harlequins. They return to URC action against Edinburgh on January 28, before returning home for a vital home derby against the Stormers on February 3.

Connacht are up first though and they are a difficult team to break down, especially at home.

“It’s a tough place to play, a lot of teams go there with strong teams, hoping for a win, but they don’t get it,” Powell said. “You have to battle it out for the full 80 minutes against Connacht.

“In a lot of games they have come back to win in the last 20 minutes, so we have to make sure we don’t tap out before the final whistle.

“They are very physical and really direct and they don’t go away. They manage the game well, especially with their kicking, and they are familiar with their own conditions and play towards that.”

Sharks: Anthony Volmink, Yaw Penxe, Murray Koster, Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, Marnus Pogieter, Nevaldo Fleurs, Cameron Wright, Celimpilo Gumede, Henco Venter, James Venter, Reniel Hugo (c), Thembelani Bholi, Carlu Sadie, Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu. Bench – Kerron van Vuuren, Dian Bleuler, Khutha Mchunu, Ockie Barnard, Corne Rahl, Grant Williams, Lionel Cronje, Ethan Hooker.

South African rugby teams have put the SuperRugby epoch behind them and, now that they have tasted the Champions Cup tournament, are ready to fully embrace European competition, even when it takes a team like the Sharks from the subtropical summer heat of Durban one week into the icy winter of the hilly Bordeaux region the next.

The Sharks, having marked their Champions Cup debut with an impressive 39-31 win over Harlequins at Kings Park, now take on Bordeaux Begles at the Chaban Delmas Stadium on Friday night.

“It definitely met expectations and all the hype playing against Harlequins and we made a good start, even though there was a lot for us to improve on,” hooker Bongi Mbonambi said on Tuesday from France.

“And now we take on top French players at home in front of their own crowd. The big difference is we just came from 31° in Durban to 2° at the moment and it might be zero on Friday night.

“It’s a totally different kind of cold, but we are here to make memories and make sure we are totally prepared. We’re looking forward to the challenge.

“The massive learning from the Quins game was that we can never relax, these are very good teams in this competition. They’ve been playing European Cup for longer than us, and we still have a lot to learn.

“We have to embrace it, you can’t always have home advantage. But even in tough conditions and with a hostile crowd, some of us enjoy it, it’s like what we face in international rugby. Hopefully we can teach the other players to embrace it too,” Mbonambi said.

Bordeaux lost their opening Champions Cup match away to Gloucester 22-17 in a photo finish, but the fact they were 17-5 up in the final quarter will have them extra motivated to inflict some real damage on the Sharks this weekend at home.

Bordeaux have a powerful pack and a punchy backline, and the fact that their halfbacks, scrummie Maxime Lucu and pivot Matthieu Jalibert, both played off the bench against the Springboks last month, steering France to victory, is a graphic illustration of the sort of quality the Sharks are up against.

“The French teams always hurt after losing in the Champions Cup and Bordeaux have a really good squad,” Mbonambi acknowledged. “They slipped up last weekend, so this Friday will be really tough.

“They have great loose forwards and their halfbacks played in the Test, they are really good at running the whole place, they control things.

“Their pack will definitely put our attacking breakdown under pressure and we can’t let their big forwards run at us,” Mbonambi said.