English batter Adam Rossington smashed 57 off 30 balls as Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the first South African SA20 tournament with a four-wicket final victory over Pretoria Capitals Sunday.
Underdogs before the match at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, the team from the coastal city of Gqeberha restricted Pretoria to 135 in 19.3 overs on a pitch that had bounce and turn.
Rossington then led the way as the Sunrisers overcame the early loss of South Africa white-ball captain Temba Bavuma for two to reach 137 for the loss of six wickets with 22 balls to spare.
The end for Rossington came off the first ball of the 11th over as his top edge was caught by Pretoria wicket-keeper and fellow Englishman Phil Salt off the bowling of Anrich Nortje.
Rossington struck five sixes and four fours as he laid the foundations for victory by a team, known as the Orange Army, that scraped into the knockout phase on net run rate.
Another star for Sunrisers was 38-year old off-spinner Roelof van der Merwe, a former South Africa and Netherlands international, who took four wickets.
"I am absolutely ecstatic after this triumph," Van der Merwe told reporters.
"It was an unbelievable game for us. We got progressively better in this tournament."
Sri Lanka international batter/wicket-keeper Kusal Mendis top scored for Pretoria with 21, including one six and one four.
After two previous Twenty20 franchise tournaments hosted by South Africa flopped, the SA20 was widely praised by players, officials and spectators.
BRIEF SCORE
Pretoria Capitals 135 (Mendis 21, Van der Merwe 4/31) lost to Sunrisers Eastern Cape 137/6 in 16.2 overs (Rossington 57, Nortje 2/21) by four wickets
