Will Jacks clearly wanted to make up for missing out on the run in the first match of Pretoria Capitals’, as the 24-year-old Englishman powered him to a complete 37-run victory over Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 match in Centurion on Saturday.
Opener Jacks scored just six against the same team two days ago at St George’s Park, but on Saturday he rained six in a capacity crowd as he plundered an impressive 92 off just 46 balls, the bedrock of Pretoria Capitals’ big total. of 216/6 after they have been sent to bat.
Jacks started by hitting left-arm spinner Jon-Jon Smuts for three fours in the opening over, and then graduated to smiting sixes, collecting eight men in all, in the best display of ball-striking brilliance.
Phil Salt, his opening partner who was man of the match in the Capitals’ opening game, fell lbw for a single to Sisanda Magala’s first delivery, and Rilee Rossouw kept the momentum going in the powerplay with 20 off 15 balls.
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But the Capitals need a substantial partnership to post a defendable total in the belting batting and small outfield. Jacks found the partner he wanted in Theunis de Bruyn, who initially provided the attack, but then blew himself up as he scored 42 off 23 balls, including four sixes.
The pair added 111 for the third wicket from just 56 deliveries, and there was great carnage at one stage as they needed just 14 deliveries to reach 100 to 150, six sixes at that time.
Magala finally returned to De Bruyn caught behind when trying to scoop, and Jacks collapsed in the next pass, top-edging the hook in Marco Jansen.
This meant Pretoria Capitals didn’t have the finish they wanted – from 150/2 after 13 overs, they added just 66 runs in the last seven overs.
Magala’s 2/28 in four overs was a good effort considering the batting the other bowlers did, while left-armer Jansen managed just two runs in 18.Th over and finished with 1/31 in the quota of overs.
Offered resistance
Eastern Cape Sunrisers were then restricted to 179/7 as only Aiden Markram (46 off 29), opener Smuts (28 off 25) and tailenders Jansen (36* off 20) and Brydon Carse (26* off 13) offered much resistance.
Wayne Parnell (3-0-20-2) struck with the new ball, dismissing Sarel Erwee (8) and Jordan Cox (0) with successive deliveries, but Markram and Smuts gave the visitors hope with 67 from 47 ball. for the third wicket.
But after Jimmy Neesham (2-0-13-1) trapped Smuts lbw with the first delivery, Sunrisers quickly crashed to 104/6.
Markram was almost given a reprieve when he tried to hit Eathan Bosch (4-0-33-1) corner long-on, but the mis-hit went straight to Migael Pretorius, who caught the catch in control, but then let it go. slip behind him, before showing an incredible reaction to catch the rebound one-handed and claim a key wicket.
Another danger man, Tristan Stubbs, could only score 12 before he hit a wild drive on leg-spinner Adil Rashid towards the stumps.
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