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SEASON 3 TEAM-BY-TEAM REVIEW | SUNRISERS EASTERN CAPE

5 Mar 20253 mins

Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s bid for a Betway SA20 title hat-trick fell short at the final hurdle in Season 3.

The double champions from the first two seasons endured an inconsistent Season 3, but still showed they not only had the talent but mental strength to push through to a third consecutive grand final.

It was an uphill battle from the start for the Sunrisers after they lost their opening three matches.

But the Sunrisers are a side that simply never give up and in fact pull closer together when their backs are against the wall. Adrian Birrell’s team responded with four wins on the bounce - three with a bonus point - to get their campaign back on track.

The Sunrisers’ major troubles was the woeful form of their top-order, particularly new import England Test opener Zak Crawley, who was eventually dropped when Proteas international Tony de Zorzi was called up for the injured Patrick Kruger.

De Zorzi also struggled initially to adapt before playing a match-winning innings in the Qualifier 2 that ultimately booked the Sunrisers’ place in the final.

But while the Sunrisers’ batting unit struggled, their bowling unit was once again hugely impressive and held it all together for the defending champions.

Marco Jansen led the attack with gusto by picking up wickets regularly in the Powerplay. He was ably supported by new-ball partner Richard Gleeson.

Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson was excellent in the middle overs for the Sunrisers and performed so well that Season 1 hero Roelof van der Merwe, who returned after a year's absence, could not get into the starting XI for even one match.

The Sunrisers’ challenge built up steam in the playoffs as they won both their Eliminator against the Joburg Super Kings and Qualifier 2 against Paarl Royals within the space of a couple of days at Centurion.

Unfortunately, the final was just one step too far as MI Cape Town dethroned the double champions in the final at the Wanderers.