The second edition of South Africa’s top T20 league, SA20, is set to kick off on January 10. Defending champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape will play against Joburg Super Kings in the opening match of the season. The match will be hosted at Sunrisers’ home venue in Gqeberha. Ahead of the match, let’s analyze the conditions of this SA20 venue, including the St George Park Gqeberha pitch report and T20 records. In this space below, you can also check the scorecard of the last T20 match played at the Gqeberha Stadium.
Gqeberha Cricket Stadium T20 Records (SA20 Stats)
St George Park in Gqeberha is slated to host five home games for the Aiden Markram-led side in the upcoming edition. All five opponents will visit the venue to face off against Sunrisers. While Sunrisers lifted the title in the inaugural edition in 2023, during that season, they secured only two wins out of five matches at their home ground. In the last season, Joburg Super Kings, Paarl Royals, and Pretoria Capitals managed to defeat Aiden Markram and Co. at Gqeberha.
The Gqeberha Cricket Stadium has hosted five matches in SA20. The venue saw Sunrisers achieving a 200+ total in one of the games, while in another match, Sunrisers were bowled out for just 127 runs. The Gqeberha pitch has proven to be unpredictable.
- Matches Played: 5
- Won by the team batting first: 2
- Won by the team batting second: 3
- Biggest score while batting first: Sunrisers Eastern Cape – 210/2 (20) vs Durban Super Giants
- Lowest score while batting first: Sunrisers Eastern Cape – 127/10 (18.4) vs Joburg Super Kings
- Biggest total chased: Sunrisers Eastern Cape chased 158 vs MI Cape Town
- Lowest Score Defended: Pretoria Capitals defended 193 vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape
- Gqeberha Cricket Stadium average 1st innings score in men’s SA20: 164
- Gqeberha Cricket Stadium average 2nd innings score in men’s SA20: 135
- Best figures for a Pacer: Gerald Coetzee (JSK) – 4/24 vs SEC
- Best figures for a Spinner: Roelof Van der Merwe (SEC) – 6/20 vs DSG
- Highest score by a Batter: Philip Salt (Pretoria Capitals) – 77*(47) vs SEC
St George Park Gqeberha Pitch Report for SA20 2024
Like a typical South African stadium, a fresh pitch at Gquberha will provide a good pace and bounce to pace bowlers which can also help batters to time their shots well and clear the ropes. But as the match progresses the pitch will play slow and spinners can come into play. If batters manage to cement their feet in the initial overs, the team can lead to a big total.
Due to the slow nature of the pitch, chasing a good score is likely to be challenging. Therefore, a team would prefer to bat first at this venue, post a total of 170+, and put scoreboard pressure on the opponent.
Gqeberha Stadium Last T20 Match Scorecard (Last SA20 Match)
The most recent SA20 match at Gqeberha was held on January 24, 2023, featuring Sunrisers and Paarl Royals. Opting to bat first, Aiden Markram’s side faced difficulties in hitting boundaries and manage to score only 130 runs. The chase witnessed moments of uncertainty, with the momentum swinging between both teams. However, in the end, the Royals successfully secured a 5-wicket win.
| Sunrisers Eastern Cape: 130-7 (20) | Paarl Royals: 131-5 (18.5) |
| JJ smuts: 65(49) | Jos Buttler: 51(39) |
| Tristan Stubbs: 18(17) | David Miller: 37*(23) |
| Aiden Markram: 15(19) | Mitchell Van Buuren: 14(15) |
| Andilr Phehlukwayo: 4 – 0 – 26 – 2 | Roelof van der Merwe: 4 – 0 – 11 – 2 |
| Evan Jones: 4 – 1 – 27 – 2 | JJ smuts: 4 – 0 – 20 – 1 |
| Lungi Ngidi: 4 – 0 – 21 – 1 | Marco Jansen: 3 – 0 – 21 – 1 |
| Match Result: Paarl Royals won by 5 wickets |