Sunrisers can go toe-to-toe with anyone in SA20: Patrick Kruger

Sunrisers Eastern Cape all-rounder Patrick Kruger believes his SA20 experience will help his domestic game develop to new heights after his heroic display leading his team to victory over Paarl Royals on Sunday.

The Sunrisers finished top of the log after the last group game with 33 points and seven wins from their 10 matches. The Gqeberha team play the Durban Super Giants at Newlands in the Qualifier 1 at Newlands on Tuesday, the winners of which progress to Saturday’s final, also in Cape Town. 

Paarl Royals and Joburg Super Kings meet in an eliminator at the Wanderers on Wednesday, the winners of which meet the losers of the Qualifier 1 game at the same venue on Thursday for a place in the final. 

Kruger, who finished Sunday’s match unbeaten on 26 runs from seven balls, showed why he was acquired by Sunrisers as a late replacement for Sisanda Magala on the eve of the tournament, striking three sixes in the final two overs to take his side home with one ball to spare.

Royals, whose skipper David Miller won his first and only toss of season two, saw his side amass 159/7 after 20 overs after choosing to bat first.

Twenty-one runs by Jordan Hermann and 19 from Dawid Malan got things going before a 63-run third wicket partnership by Proteas captains Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma led the charge for Sunrisers in front of a packed St George’s Park.

Markram departed for 37 before a brief rain delay halted proceedings with SEC needing 41 from 25, but importantly one run ahead of the DLS par score after 15.5 overs.

When play resumed, Tristan Stubbs (19) and Bavuma (33) fell in consecutive overs before Kruger hit two huge sixes in the penultimate over, and a four and a six in the final over to finish the game in style.

“I knew that with ‘Stubbo’ [Stubbs] still batting, we were in it to win it, so I tried to stay as calm as possible,” Kruger said.

“I always had the belief that I could do it and was very happy to be able to get the team over the line.”

The right-handed medium-pacer said Sunrisers were happy with the bowling performance having restricted their opponents to 46 runs in the final five overs.

The Royals bowling attack did fairly well too, conceding just 53 runs in the final five overs.

The Sunrisers put in another shift, first in the field, restricting the Royals to just 15 fours and five sixes, and then with running between the wickets, having hit just 10 boundaries and eight sixes themselves.

“We actually restricted them quite well in the last five overs, they didn’t get as much as I think they would have liked to get in that period.

“We knew it was a good wicket, so we were always backing ourselves to get there at St George’s Park,” Kruger said.

With one of the best bowling attacks in the tournament in 2024, Kruger feels the backing they receive from the management group and bowling coach Dale Steyn in particular, gives Sunrisers the belief they can go toe-to-toe with any batting line-up in the competition.

“Assessing the wicket, hitting the pitch hard, and let the batter hit you from your lengths — you don’t want to change too much if it’s working,” he said.

“We kept things simple, backed our basics and didn’t try too much, which has worked for us.

“We didn’t start as well as we would have wanted, but we always backed ourselves to bring it back in those middle overs.”