Same time, same place for Sunrisers

Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) on the brink of another title

SEC have made it to the final of the SA20 for the third consecutive year. They will face Mumbai Indians Cape Town at the Wanderers on Saturday.

SEC have a reputation for starting slowly and then picking up momentum as the tournament progresses. This year has been no different. They lost their first three matches but then went on a winning streak, securing their place in the final.

The SEC squad is not authentically Eastern Cape, but the spirit of the province seems to rub off on them. They have a calm and consistent leadership duo in Adrian Birrell and Aiden Markram, who give their players the freedom to play positively.

In the second qualifier against Paarl, SEC limited their opposition to 175/6, thanks to tight bowling from Craig Overton and Aiden Markram. Lhuan-dre Pretorius (59 off 41) and Rubin Hermann (81 off 53) put up a fight for Paarl, but SEC's fielding was excellent, and they eventually won by 32 runs.

Tony de Zorzi, who replaced Patrick Kruger due to injury, has been impressed with SEC's sustained success. He scored 78 off 49 balls in the match against Paarl, his third half-century in 75 innings in the format.

David Miller, Paarl's captain, praised SEC for their trust and backing of each other, and their gutsy and clever cricket.

SEC's Jordan Hermann, who had a few failures in the field, redeemed himself by scoring an unbeaten 69 off 48 balls and sharing a 111-run stand with De Zorzi.

SEC have been the form team this year, winning seven games and finishing at the top of the standings. They have beaten Cape Town, the other finalist, both times they have played them in this edition. However, SEC's captain, Aiden Markram, has reminded his team that "the tournament starts now."