
The Sunrisers Eastern Cape host the Joburg Super Kings in the 19th match of the 2025 SA20. The two teams enjoy varying fortunes as JSK aim to return to winning ways while the Sunrisers aim to make it four consecutive wins.
2025 SA20 – Game 19
Sunrisers Eastern Cape v Joburg Super Kings
Friday 24 January 2025 – 17:30
St George’s Park
The St George’s Park pitch doesn’t tend to favour sides batting first or second – results are even. The wicket offers something for everyone – batsmen and bowlers, quicks and spinners. This is a venue where everyone stands a chance.
Heading into Friday’s game the SEC form is almost a mirror opposite of that of JSK. While the Sunrisers lost their first three SA20 games before turning things around to win the next three, the Super Kings are winless in their last three games (two losses and a no result).
Sunrisers Eastern Cape
The Sunrisers have hit form at just the right time, and you can’t help but feel there is plenty more to come from them. Momentum is critical and having started poorly they have now won three in a row and confidence is building.
Bowling unit doing the business for SEC
SEC’s previous SA20 successes were built around their bowling unit, and this element is firing for them again.
Marco Jansen is on fire with both bat (he is the eighth-highest run scorer) and ball (he is the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets). But Richard Gleeson is just behind Jansen in terms of wickets taken and Liam Dawson is in there too.
In short, the tournament’s top three bowlers are from SEC and with Ottniel Baartman on the list in seventh they are looking formidable.
Batsmen need to step up…
Aiden Markram has hit form with the bat and is in fourth place on the run scorers list and looking to be back to his belligerent best. The biggest concern for SEC now will be the repeated failures of the batsmen at the top of their order.
Both David Bedingham and Zak Crawley have struggled for runs and they are currently averaging 11 and 13 respectively. If they start to fire SEC will take a step up to the next level.
Another problem is Tristan Stubbs, who has scored just 71 runs all tournament. He is a phenomenal batsman who, when in form, hits the ball a very long way. SEC can’t continue to rely on Markram and Jansen for their runs – they need players like Stubbs to step up and deliver.
Match Day preps ft. Ottas pic.twitter.com/2sDFvk8mZO
— Sunrisers Eastern Cape (@SunrisersEC) January 24, 2025
Joburg Super Kings
It has been a curious SA20 season for the Joburg Season Kings who have done alright without ever seeming to catch fire – they won their opening two games, a touch-and-go DWL win over MICT and a comfortable away win over DSG in their second match.
But as much as they are fourth on the table it doesn’t feel like they have ever got going properly. They need to start delivering more dominant performances.
Bairstow needing support from fellow batsmen
Big Jonny Bairstow has been JSK’s best batsman so far. He is averaging 47 runs per innings at a strike rate of 138.83. Critically though JSK need some of their other batsmen to join the party with Bairstow.
Faf du Plessis is their next best batter with a high score of 61 and an average of 27.5. Donovan Ferreira is their third-highest scorer, but he has managed just 78 runs all tournament – they need more.
Spinners paving the way for JSK
JSK have had to draw heavily on their spinners in the absence of key fast bowlers Gerald Coetzee and Beuraan Hendricks. Fortunately, they are heavy with quality spinners who should find the St George’s Park pitch to their liking.
Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi, Moeen Ali and Donovan Ferreira are all excellent competitors, although they have been a bit light in the wicket column.
Overall, the JSK bowlers have been a little underwhelming. None of their bowlers feature on the list of top ten tournament wicket takers.
Donovan Ferreira with five scalps from five games is their best performer. David Wiese has four wickets. Those are the two most successful bowlers on their roster, and while there are plenty of contributors with three or two wickets, what they really need are some shows of dominance.
New Zealand’s South African-born international Devon Conway owes his team a big performance. He has scored just 75 all tournament and averages 18.25 per knock. His career T20 average is a significantly more impressive 41.50, so expect him to come right soon.
Cruising into Gqeberha for Game 6️⃣! 🦁🌊
— Joburg Super Kings (@JSKSA20) January 24, 2025
Get set to #WhistleForJoburg! 🥳#SECvJSK #ToJoburgWeBelong #SA20 @SA20_League pic.twitter.com/AGMeKiExd2
Verdict: Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Playing at home again and with key players in form, expect the SEC to continue their upward curve.
