Sunrisers Eastern Cape claim third SA20 title in four seasons after outlasting Pretoria Capitals

The match revolved around two outstanding innings played in very different moods. First, Dewald Brevis produced an exhibition of controlled violence for the Capitals, rescuing his side from early chaos and almost carrying them to glory single-handedly. Then, when Sunrisers appeared down and out in the chase, captain Tristan Stubbs and Matthew Breetzke combined composure with timely aggression to drag their team over the line.

Put in to bat, Pretoria Capitals were rocked almost immediately. Connor Esterhuizen edged Marco Jansen to slip, and Shai Hope fell first ball to Lutho Sipamla, leaving the Capitals reeling at 1 for 2. What followed was the Brevis show. The 22-year-old justified his record auction price with an innings of remarkable clarity, dismantling the bowlers he could attack and respecting those he could not.

He punished the spinners early, raced to a half-century from 26 balls, and dominated a crucial partnership with Bryce Parsons, who played the ideal supporting role with a run-a-ball 30. Even as wickets fell around him through run-outs and mistimed shots, Brevis surged on, reaching his maiden SA20 century from just 53 deliveries. His 101 accounted for almost two-thirds of the Capitals' 158 for 7, a total lifted almost entirely by his brilliance.

Sunrisers, though, ensured the damage was contained. Jansen and Anrich Nortje were outstanding at the death, conceding just three runs across the final two overs. Jansen finished with 3 for 10, Nortje with 1 for 19, spells that would later prove decisive.

Despite that, the Capitals seized early control of the chase. Jonny Bairstow fell in the first over, Quinton de Kock departed at the end of the powerplay, and disciplined spin bowling strangled the scoring. When Sunrisers slumped to 48 for 4 in the ninth over, the trophy looked firmly within Pretoria's grasp and the required rate ballooned beyond comfort.

That was when Breetzke and Stubbs changed the script. Calm rather than frantic, they rebuilt patiently before launching a calculated assault in the closing overs. Breetzke shook off a lean run of form with a fluent, unbeaten 68 from 49 balls, while Stubbs played one of the finest innings of his T20 career, finishing on 63 not out from 41.

The turning point came late: big overs off Lizaad Williams and Gideon Peters swung momentum, before Stubbs sealed the match in brutal fashion. Needing nine from the final over, he pulled and swept consecutive sixes to end the contest with four balls to spare and spark wild celebrations.

In a final rich with drama, Brevis' century glittered brightly, but it was the composure of Stubbs, the resilience of Breetzke and the precision of Sunrisers' fast bowlers that ultimately defined the outcome. Three titles in four years now place Sunrisers Eastern Cape firmly in a league of their own, a benchmark that may stand for a long time to come.

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