Sunrisers Eastern Cape advanced into second position in the SA20 points standings after beating Durban’s Super Giants by 124 runs. It was a Roelof van der Merwe show from start to finish, as the veteran spinner provided the best bowling performance of the SA20 thus far, destroying the opposition with a session of 6/20. With this effort, he currently shares the lead in SA20 wicket takers (12 in five matches) with Paarl Royals’ Bjorn Fortuin.
According to Viacom18 Sports analyst Pragyan Ojha, van der Merwe gives his all for every team he represents. He also remembers Van der Merwe’s tournament catch.
“He’s 38, yet he seems to be really driven to achieve well for his squad and whatever team he plays for. We witnessed something similar when he took a catch and South Africa was eliminated from the competition (ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022). So, props to him for his infectious enthusiasm.”
Ojha also remarked that spinners from both sides seemed to be bowling on separate surfaces, as Durban’s Super Giants spinners failed to pick up any wickets while Sunrisers Eastern Cape spinners picked up nine.
“At one point, I thought maybe, during the first innings break, the wicket was altered. There was a huge disparity amongst the bowlers. I had high hopes for someone like Maharaj (Keshav) since he has experience in all genres. He has played for the nation, he has done that, but the way he was bowling, it seemed like he was being defensive, while his adversary, Van Der Merwe, was attacking,” Ojha remarked.
On January 24, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape will meet the Paarl Royals, while the Durban Super Giants will face the Joburg Super Kings.
