6,6,6,4,6,6: Jonny Bairstow turns beast mode on as Keshav Maharaj endures costliest SA20 over | Cricket News
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TimesofIndia.com in Johannesburg: Minutes after a comprehensive defeat, the mood in the Pretoria Capitals dugout was unmistakably sombre. Disappointed faces told the story as head coach Sourav Ganguly huddled in quiet conversation with members of the support staff, already dissecting what had gone wrong, while the others were packing their gear. Among the group, senior pro Keshav Maharaj cut a lonely figure. Seated alongside his teammates yet seemingly apart, he remained a man of few words, gazing into the night sky. Maharaj was fresh from conceding 34 in an over and was just one good Jonny Bairstow connection away from joining an unwanted list of bowlers who have conceded six sixes in an over.
Bairstow was timing it sweet and hitting them long and even the boundary raced to the fence but the right-hander couldn’t get underneath that one to get the elevation. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Before the 12th over, Bairstow was going along steadily at 45 off 34 balls but played second fiddle to a free flowing Quinton de Kock. In the Maharaj over, the England batter turned his beast mode on as he launched the first delivery way back into the stands. Fifty was up and the Sunrisers Eastern Cape opener took guard again to repeat the drill. The second one webt even longer and the heat was on the left-arm spinner who conceded another one off the third delivery. Three sixes on the row and the rare feat started to play on his mind. Plenty of oohs followed as he could only manage a boundary off the fourth delivery. “Did it look like I went into my shell, just with a four? Yes, of course [was looking to hit six sixes], like when you’ve got three away and you’re thinking, okay, maybe let’s try and give it a go. So, yes, unfortunately, I got that one for four. But, yes, I was definitely trying,” said Bairstow during a select media interaction.The direction changed for the next two deliveries but the result remained the same. Two more maximums made off made it a 34-run over. It was the most expensive over in SA20 history. Not a record Maharaj would have liked against his name but it was tough work against a belligerent Bairstow. The opener didn’t race off the blocks but grew in confidence during the 177-run partnership with De Kock which came in lightning quick time.
Jonny Bairstow of Sunrisers Eastern Cape during match 14 of the Betway SA20 season 4 between Pretoria Capitals (PC) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) held at the Supersport Park Stadium in Centurion , South Africa on the 5th January 2026. (Photo Credit: Ron Gaunt / Sportzpics for SA20)
In front of their home crowd, Pretoria lost another fixture but the crowd didn’t leave the side’s back as thousands stayed back for an interaction with their heroes. Plenty of kids queued up to get autographs from the Pretoria stars and couldn’t control their excitement after getting memories for life. The younger ones jumped with joy while the slightly older lot kept scrolling through the gallery to pick the perfect social media upload.
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The post-match routine of players interacting with fans is something Pretoria have made a routine and has definitely helped them get the support whenever they play at Centurion. Maharaj was disappointed with the results at home and has vowed to bounce back in the next fixture. “It’s very disappointing to get two losses at home in front of a brilliant crowd here. So hopefully come Wednesday, we get back to winning ways, back to the drawing board and back to basics,” he said at the post-match presentation.
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