Johannesburg: Batters may draw the crowds in T20 cricket, but Sunrisers Eastern Cape coach Adrian Birrell believes bowlers win the trophies. He has the record to back it up, having guided the side to three SA20 titles in four seasons.
After the Season 5 auction, Birrell has put together what may be one of the most feared pace attacks the competition has seen. While other franchises focused on balance and batting depth, the Sunrisers doubled down on the strength that made them the league’s most successful team.
The attack already featured Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, New Zealand’s Adam Milne and local seamer Lutho Sipamla. At the auction, they added Proteas left-armer Nandre Burger and England allrounder Craig Overton. Birrell said both were signed at base price on a modest budget, and he was delighted to land them, though the team had other options if the bids had failed. He described pace as a huge X-factor for the side.
Jansen’s central role
Jansen has been the backbone of the team’s success, taking 60 wickets over the first four seasons. That is just one behind the competition’s leading wicket-taker, Ottneil Baartman. He bowls well with both the new ball and at the death, and his runs and fielding add further value. Birrell called him a player who contributes at three stages of the game, and said Overton can fill a similar role and bat in a similar position. Overton also gives the squad cover if injuries strike.
Milne and Nortje
Birrell was equally pleased to keep Milne, whom he rates as an out-and-out swing bowler who is effective both early and late in an innings. Then there is Nortje, known as the “Uitenhage Express”, who took 18 wickets in the title-winning Season 4. Birrell said the paceman gives the side a thunderbolt-like edge. Not all of the bowlers can play together, he noted, but the depth gives the team plenty of options and backup.
A patient bet on Burger
The signing of Burger reflects the franchise’s willingness to take the long view. The 31-year-old struggled with injuries during his time at Joburg Super Kings. He is now recovering from a recurrence of a lumbar stress reaction, which forced him out of the 2026 Major League Cricket season with the Texas Super Kings in June. Birrell said the team’s background checks suggest he should be fit for the tournament, and that Burger bowls quickly when healthy, which is why the Sunrisers wanted him on their books.
Season opener
Fans will get their first look at the new attack when the Sunrisers host Pretoria Capitals at St George’s Park in Gqeberha in the Season 5 opener on Sunday, January 17.
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