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Debutant Coles Shines as Sunrisers Eastern Cape Seal Playoff Spot



James Coles produced a brilliant all-round performance on debut to help Sunrisers Eastern Cape secure a dominant bonus-point win over Joburg Super Kings, becoming the first team to reach the SA20 2026 playoffs.

After being sent in to bat, SEC posted a solid 178/5 on a surface that offered grip and slow turn. Quinton de Kock and Jonny Bairstow gave the innings an early push, and de Kock continued the charge with a fluent 54 off 37 balls — his third fifty of the season. With SEC cruising at 88/1 after 10 overs, Donovan Ferreira dragged JSK back into the contest by striking twice in the same over, removing Jordan Hermann and de Kock.

That brought debutant Coles to the crease. He was initially watchful alongside Tristan Stubbs, as SEC crawled to 129/4 at the end of 16 overs. But after the strategic timeout, Coles shifted momentum dramatically, attacking Richard Gleeson and Nandre Burger with crisp boundaries. His 29-ball half-century powered SEC to a competitive finish on a tricky surface.

JSK’s chase was always going to be tough — no team had successfully chased more than 165 at this venue all season. They started brightly, reaching 30/0 in three overs through Rivaldo Moonsamy and James Vince. But Coles struck in his first over, removing Moonsamy and conceding only three runs. Accurate spells from Adam Milne and Anrich Nortje tightened the noose further, restricting JSK to 39/1 by the end of the powerplay.

Coles struck again in the seventh over, getting Vince stumped. From there, Senuran Muthusamy took charge in the middle overs, dismantling the Super Kings’ lineup. He dismissed Dian Forrester, Wiaan Mulder and Michael Pepper in quick succession, finishing with excellent figures of 3/26. A run-out of Matthew de Villiers only deepened JSK’s troubles.

The seamers cleaned up the remainder, with Milne, Marco Jansen and Nortje wiping out the tail as JSK were bowled out for 117 in 18.1 overs, never posing a real threat in the chase.

With their fourth bonus-point win of the season, Sunrisers Eastern Cape moved to the top of the standings. Joburg Super Kings stayed in fourth place, while the result ensured Durban’s Super Giants remained mathematically alive in the playoff race.

Brief Scores

Sunrisers Eastern Cape 178/5
(Coles 61, de Kock 54; Ferreira 2/25)

Joburg Super Kings 117 all out in 18.1 overs
(Vince 30; Muthusamy 3/26)

SEC won by 61 runs

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