Pretoria Capitals should move Shai Hope to the top.
Pretoria Capitals (PC) will face Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) in the 14th match of SA20 2026. Both teams’ respective last game was washed out due to rain.
Pretoria Capitals: Connor Esterhuizen, Bryce Parsons, Shai Hope (wk), Wihan Lubbe, Dewald Brevis, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Keshav Maharaj (c), Lizaad Williams, Tymal Mills, Lungi Ngidi
Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock (wk), Matthew Breetzke, Jordan Hermann, Tristan Stubbs (c), Marco Jansen, Patrick Kruger, James Coles, Anrich Nortje, Adam Milne, Lutho Sipamla
There’s always some assistance for pacers early on in Centurion, and the trend should continue this time. In the only game this season, fast bowlers grabbed 12 scalps at 17.75 runs apiece, compared to three wickets at an average of 32 by spinners here. In general, this venue has been among the highest-scoring in the competition, with an average first-innings score of 161 last season.
Expect another high-scoring game, with both teams set to enjoy batting on this surface. The team winning the toss might elect to field first. Around 175 will be a good score on this deck.
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While their previous game was abandoned, Pretoria Capitals announced their team after the toss, and the playing XIs were announced. To accommodate Andre Russell, PC dropped Will Smeed and had slotted Connor Esterhuizen as an opener. However, they should instead open with Shai Hope and partner him with Bryce Parsons.
As an opener, Hope can maximise the powerplay and is also naturally an opener who understands how to construct an innings in this format. Since 2024, Shai Hope has 1153 runs at a whopping average of 141.12 in 31 T20 innings, including nine fifties and three centuries. He has found success everywhere, including in international cricket.
His numbers while batting outside the top spot are not as good. At No.3, Hope has an average of 31.33 and a strike rate of 127.53 in 55 outings, including eight fifties. At No.4, his average and strike rate go down to 16.92 and 119.69 in 15 innings.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape have among the finest pace attacks, and Hope’s skills against pace will help PC counter them. Since 2024, he has had a strike rate of 136.18 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 5.59 against pacers. That strike rate and balls-per-boundary ratio shrink to 127.22 and 7.34, respectively, against spinners.
When Will Smeed was playing in the XI, Shai Hope’s move to No.3 was understandable, but he should open now that there’s a vacancy. Esterhuizen will shift to one down, followed by the likes of Wihan Lubbe, Dewald Brevis, and Sherfane Rutherford in the middle and lower middle order. That will help them maximise their batting unit.
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