St. George's Park And Newlands Set For Blockbuster Betway SA20 New Year's Eve Clashes

Gqeberha : Betway SA20 is poised for a thrilling festive celebration as St George’s Park and Newlands gear up to host a blockbuster New Year's Eve double-header on Wednesday.

The excitement is palpable for the marquee New Year's Eve clashes with Sunrisers Eastern Cape hosting Paarl Royals (1pm start) and Pretoria Capitals visiting MI Cape Town (5:30pm start).

After experiencing an incredible St George’s Park atmosphere in the Sunrisers’ opening game on Monday, captain Tristan Stubbs is expecting ‘The Orange Army’ to raise the roof like never before.

“We’ve never played on New Year's Eve, but I think the atmosphere is going to hopefully match today, if not better,” Stubbs said. 

“I've always said the best atmosphere here is a Sunday afternoon 3.30pm start. We have a 1.30pm start, but it's going to have that feel and it's going to be awesome.”

The table-topping Sunrisers are aiming for their third consecutive victory after two comprehensive bonus point wins, while the Royals will be seeking redemption after losing to the same opposition a few days ago at Boland Park. 

“There’s been really good prep coming into this. We’ve got a changeroom filled with guys who are hitting the ball quite nicely,” said Royals wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne.

“So, with nine games to go and Playoffs hopefully, I think we are just going to start our tournament again. I think if you try to tweak too many things, we’ll probably come short. 

“We are going to come into the next game with good plans and play the brand of cricket we’ve been speaking about.” 

MI Cape Town allrounder Corbin Bosch is also buzzing with excitement ahead of the clash against the Capitals at Newlands with the defending champions aiming for their first victory of the season. 

“It’s going to be an electric game against Pretoria Capitals,” Bosch said. “Both teams are looking for a win. 

“I think the atmosphere is going to be electric. We can’t wait to put on a show for you.” 

Pretoria Capitals assistant coach Mandla Mashimbyi has equally high hopes that the last game of the year will provide a change in fortunes for his team to kickstart their season after two consecutive defeats. 

“Losing two games in a row is not nice. But I think there's still time for us to really recover. We need to regroup now and come back and make sure that in Cape Town we get our first win,” Mashimbyi said. 

“And you just never know what the competition can give you after that. So, yeah, we're looking forward to that.” 

Double-header action today, December 31, Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Paarl Royals at 4:30 PM, MI Cape Town vs Pretoria Capitals at 9:00 PM, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network