SA20 Qualifier 1: All-round Bryce Parsons steers Pretoria Capitals into new territory - a maiden final

TimesofIndia.com in Durban: The equation was in balance with two overs to go at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday night. Pretoria Capitals (PC) needed 18 runs off 12 balls against Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) in Qualifier 1 of the fourth season. Capitals had just lost Bryce Parsons after his breathtaking 60 runs from 44 balls, studded with four fours and two sixes.

For SEC, Marco Jansen had finished his quota of overs. So had Anrich Nortje, who had got the prized wicket of Parsons. Lewis Gregory, who conceded 23 runs in his three overs, was handed the responsibility to bowl the penultimate over. Except, the well-set Dewald Brevis had other ideas.



The 22-year-old tonked the ball down the ground for a six on the first ball of the 19th over. A wide ball later, Brevis hit a meaty shot towards cow corner and closed the job out with another maximum over square leg.

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As a result, the Pretoria Capitals booked their flight from Durban to Cape Town to play the final on Saturday. This will be their first appearance in the SA20 title match.

Meanwhile, the two-time champions SEC, who suffered their first-ever knockout stage defeat, will face the winner of Joburg Super Kings vs Paarl Royals in the second qualifier.

The night, though, belonged to the Capitals' young duo of Parsons and Brevis, who shared a 91-run stand for the third wicket. Parsons, who plays his domestic cricket for Dolphins and calls Kingsmead his home, made an impact with the ball (3/10) and bat to take the game beyond SEC's reach - even if Brevis' blistering innings eradicated any chance of drama.

"I've always been in and out of the team, so there's always a chance of playing, so it's always about staying ready. Luckily I got the opportunity today and we got over the line," said Parsons in the post-match presentation.

"I play a lot of cricket here at Kingsmead, so it's nice to come home and play or have a bat on a wicket that I'm quite accustomed to. So I knew it was going to be a bit slow, as it always is here at Kingsmead. I thought I knew what I was getting myself into," he continued.

The pivotal moment came just three overs into the match. Lungi Ngidi (2-0-11-0) walked off the field of play with what appeared to be an issue with the strapping on his foot.

He didn't return to the field again, leaving gap for someone else to fill in the overs. Stepped up Parsons with his slow left-arm orthodox bowling, which had seen him pick 18 wickets before, including four in the SA20.

At the conclusion of the 14th over, skipper Keshav Maharaj introduced Parsons and was immediately rewarded. On the last ball of the over, Jordan Hermann (41 off 30 balls) came down the track but ended up yorking himself in the process.


In the next two overs, Parsons continued his onslaught: forcing Chris Green and Matthew Breetzke to return to the dugout with minimal impact. The Benoni-born cricketer will now get one more chance to make himself count — on the big stage at that.

Brief Scores Sunrisers Eastern Cape: 170 for 7 in 20 overs (Jonny Bairstow 50, Jordan Hermann 41; Bryce Parsons 3/10, Keshav Maharaj 2/24)
Pretoria Capitals: 172 for 3 in 18.3 overs (Dewald Brevis 75*, Bryce Parsons 60; Chris Green 1-31)


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