Pretoria Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj admitted his team were gutted after letting things slip in the final.
Quality and consistency got them over the line again, according to head coach Adrian Birrell, after Sunrisers Eastern Cape lifted the SA20 trophy for the third time in four years on Sunday.
The Sunrisers finished top of the league table, and though they went on to lose the first qualifier play-off against the Pretoria Capitals, they beat the same side in the final in Cape Town after fighting back to secure a six-wicket victory with four balls to spare.
Birrell felt the squad they put together had ensured the Eastern Cape side were competitive in every facet of the game.
“No disrespect to other teams but I think we’ve probably got the most balanced team. We bat deep, we’ve got good spin, we’ve got good pace, and high quality batsmen with an experienced opening pair,” he said.
Making as few changes as reasonably possible throughout the tournament had also been key, Birrell said, which allowed them to perform consistently well.
“I think we were probably the side that played the least number of players. We didn’t chop and change… and I think we’ve got a really good squad here,” he said.
“I think they showed this year that we were probably the most consistent team. We won quite well when we won, with quite a lot of bonus points, and when we lost we only lost by narrow margins.”
Pretoria Capitals gutted by defeat
Meanwhile, Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj admitted they were crushed after letting the trophy slip from their grasp.
Though they were in control for most of the final, Sunrisers batters Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs took the game away with an unbeaten 114-run stand for the fifth wicket, preventing the Pretoria side from securing their first SA20 title.
“It’s quite painful. It feels like we lost the World Cup over here,” Maharaj said.
The skipper was pleased, however, with their overall performance in the competition. After losing their first two games of the league stage, the Capitals recovered well, winning five of their last seven matches.
“At the start of the season, a lot of people wouldn’t have said we’d be in this position now, so we’ll take all the positives we can,” the skipper said.
“Come next season we’ll build on the areas that we can do a lot better. If we’re going to compete and be the best we’ve got to be on it from all facets of the game.”
