Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Pretoria Capitals, 5th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

That concludes proceedings from this game. The action moves to Durban tomorrow where Durban Super Giants take on Joburg Super Kings. Do remember to join us for that one. Cheers!!

Quinton de Kock | Player of the Match: It was pretty busy to be honest, the crowd was quite noisy. Usually I’m on the opposite side, so it was actually quite nice to be out there with them and not against them, having everyone on our side. I thought initially there was a bit in the ball and it was quite slow, so it wasn’t that easy to score. It was just a matter of standing still and reacting to whatever was coming. The partnership was great - I walked in with some intensity, but he (BreetZke) kept the momentum going, took the right options, and we battled really nicely together. I thought we dovetailed really well, especially through the middle, and it was just unfortunate we couldn’t carry on longer. Behind the stumps, it’s pretty cool to have that many bowling options and that amount of skill and experience around. It was quite hard for them up front, the ball came on better initially, but they kept it tight, played some really good cricket shots early, and then pulled it back nicely when the wicket got a bit harder to bat on. It’s great to have that quality and experience around the group.

Tristan Stubbs: It’s an absolutely brilliant start, back-to-back games, and I don’t know that you can start a competition any better, so we’ll take this. The way Quinny (de Kock) and Brett (Breetzke) batted really summed up the conditions - they complemented each other beautifully and it was great to watch. They took the right options, were very clear in their plans, and the batting was awesome. It got a bit tougher towards the end, and then with the ball they came out hard in the powerplay, but we stuck to our guns and came out well. It’s very easy as captain when they keep batting like that - they make your job easier. At halfway the chat was really positive; we knew we had to bowl well, they got off to a good start, but we knew it would get tougher in the middle and the boys bowled beautifully. I’ve got someone like Quinton de Kock who knows the game really well to lean on, and there was a lot of good chat between us, along with other senior guys who’ve been great with advice. We just needed to stick to our guns, hold our lengths, and the guys did that magnificently. It was an absolutely brilliant day for the team.

Keshav Maharaj: We were two sides of the wicket and two lengths, couldn’t find the consistency and control and let the game go away. We clawed it back nicely in the end but it was probably 30 runs too much on a wicket that offered a bit of something. If we’re honest, it wasn’t our best bowling performance from the start. There are positives from the back end we can take, especially conceding just 20 runs in the last three overs, but we have to go back to the drawing board and pinpoint those errors. At the halfway stage we still had belief, knowing that if we got 60 in the powerplay the game was still on, and we were up with the rate until 10 overs. The wickets in the middle order didn’t help and stemmed the run rate, and at St George’s Park once the rate goes above 10 with no wickets in hand it becomes difficult. We want to create consistency by identifying roles and making sure players take care of them. We’re still missing Andre Russell, which is a big factor in the middle order, but no excuses - we have guys who can put their hand up at any time. There are still eight games to go, so hopefully we build momentum. With a quick turnaround before Wednesday, it’s about clearing the mind, rectifying mistakes quickly, being the best version of yourself, and trusting your skill set to get the results.

20:55 local, 18:55 GMT, 00:25 IST: Second loss in a row for the Capitals and both have come while chasing. They had a fair bit of momentum at the halfway mark after pulling things back in the last 6 overs, but the batters failed to capitalize on that. Despite losing Parsons in the first over, the Capitals did well in the powerplay - all thanks to Shai Hope who smashed a 19-ball 36 that included 5 fours and a six. His innings, however, was cut short by a slower ball yorker from Milne and that opened the doors for a bit of a collapse as they lost their next 5 wickets for 61 runs. Smeed played a few impressive strokes and he failed to convert his start into a big score. That said, Milne was exceptional with the ball. He used his variations smartly and picked up wickets at crucial intervals. Given the variety and consistency so far, Sunrisers are certainly proving to be one of the best bowling sides in this tournament. Stick around for the post-match reactions...

Tharindu Rathnayake to Ngidi, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Tharindu Rathnayake to Codi Yusuf, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

Milne to Rutherford, THATS OUT!! Caught!!