On 22 January 2023, a 37-year-old spinner walked off the field at St George’s Park having just bowled out an entire opposition batting line-up almost single-handedly, six wickets for 20 runs, a record that no bowler in SA20 has come close to since.
That single spell sits at the top of a list of ten performances that define the league’s short but eventful history. This guide covers every one of them: who bowled them, what happened in the match, and the patterns that connect them.
Best Bowling Figures in an Innings for SA20 — Full List
The best bowling figures in an SA20 innings highlight the tournament’s most impactful spells. Below is the complete list of the top bowling performances in SA20 history.
| Player | Figures | Overs | Team | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE van der Merwe | 6/20 | 4.0 | Sunrisers | Super Giants | Gqeberha | 22 Jan 2023 |
| D Potgieter | 5/10 | 3.0 | MI Cape Town | Sunrisers | Gqeberha | 9 Jan 2025 |
| Noor Ahmad | 5/11 | 3.2 | Super Giants | Paarl Royals | Durban | 28 Jan 2024 |
| OEG Baartman | 5/16 | 4.0 | Paarl Royals | Capitals | Centurion | 15 Jan 2026 |
| CJ Dala | 5/26 | 4.0 | Super Giants | Capitals | Durban | 30 Jan 2024 |
| M Jansen | 5/30 | 4.0 | Sunrisers | Super Giants | Cape Town | 10 Feb 2024 |
| OEG Baartman | 4/10 | 4.0 | Sunrisers | Super Giants | Cape Town | 6 Feb 2024 |
| OEG Baartman | 4/12 | 3.3 | Sunrisers | Capitals | Gqeberha | 22 Jan 2024 |
| M Jansen | 4/13 | 4.0 | Sunrisers | Capitals | Gqeberha | 22 Jan 2025 |
| A Nortje | 4/13 | 3.0 | Sunrisers | Paarl Royals | Paarl | 27 Dec 2025 |
Player-by-Player Breakdown: The Story Behind Each Spell
Player by Player Breakdown provides a closer look at each record bowling spell, including the match context, opposition, and the impact of the performance in SA20 history.
1. Roelof van der Merwe — 6/20 vs Durban’s Super Giants (Gqeberha, 22 Jan 2023)
The record for the best bowling figures in an innings in SA20 history belongs to left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe. Bowling for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the league’s inaugural season, van der Merwe’s 6/20 against Durban’s Super Giants powered his side to a bonus-point victory, restricting the opposition to 86 all out in 14.4 overs.
The veteran spinner went on to finish that season as the tournament’s joint-leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps and was named Player of the Match in the final as Sunrisers lifted the inaugural SA20 title. His figures remain untouched three seasons later.
2. Delano Potgieter — 5/10 vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape (Gqeberha, 9 Jan 2025)
Best known as a batting all-rounder in domestic cricket, Delano Potgieter delivered a stunning surprise on his SA20 bowling debut.
He took five wickets, including three in five balls during his opening over, helping MI Cape Town dismiss the defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape for just 77. The spell was recognized as the second-best bowling figures in SA20 history at the time, made more remarkable by the fact that it was Potgieter’s first competitive bowling spell in the tournament.
3. Noor Ahmad — 5/11 vs Paarl Royals (Durban, 28 Jan 2024)
Afghanistan’s left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad is one of world cricket’s most sought-after white-ball bowlers, and this spell for Durban’s Super Giants shows why.
His mix of deceptive googlies and quick arm speed proved almost unplayable on a Durban surface that usually favors batters, and it stands as the third-best innings figures in SA20 history.
4. Ottniel Baartman — 5/16 vs Capitals (Centurion, 15 Jan 2026)
Ottniel “OEG” Baartman is the only bowler to appear on this list three times, and this Centurion spell for Paarl Royals — his new franchise after several seasons with Sunrisers Eastern Cape — is his best figures to date.
He has also been one of the tournament’s most consistent wicket-takers, featuring among the most wickets in SA20 throughout his career. Known for his pinpoint yorkers and calm death-overs execution, Baartman took this five-wicket haul while bowling first, one of only two entries on this list where the bowler struck while defending a total rather than chasing one.
5. CJ Dala — 5/26 vs Capitals (Durban, 30 Jan 2024)
Junior “CJ” Dala’s five-wicket haul for Durban’s Super Giants came at a higher cost than most entries on this list, but it was no less impactful, arriving in the second innings to break apart a chase from Pretoria Capitals.
Dala has built a reputation across South African T20 cricket as a skiddy, hard-lengths seamer who thrives under lights, and this remains his career-best SA20 return.
6. Marco Jansen — 5/30 vs Durban’s Super Giants (Cape Town, 10 Feb 2024)
Towering left-arm pacer Marco Jansen is one of the Proteas’ premier white-ball weapons, and this Cape Town spell for Sunrisers Eastern Cape shows his ability to strike even when runs are flowing.
His extra bounce and awkward angle into right-handers make him dangerous in both the powerplay and death overs. It remains the most expensive five-wicket haul on this list, but a five-for is a five-for regardless of runs conceded.
7. Ottniel Baartman — 4/10 vs Super Giants (Cape Town, 6 Feb 2024)
Just four days after Marco Jansen’s five-for at the same ground, teammate Ottniel Baartman produced an even tighter spell against the same opposition, Durban’s Super Giants.
Conceding only 10 runs in four overs with a maiden included, this is the most economical performance in SA20’s top-10 innings list, underlining Baartman’s reputation as one of the format’s most miserly operators.
8. Ottniel Baartman — 4/12 vs Capitals (Gqeberha, 22 Jan 2024)
Baartman’s third appearance on this list came bowling first against Pretoria Capitals at Gqeberha, his then-home ground.
The spell helped set up a defendable total for Sunrisers Eastern Cape and further cemented his status as SA20’s most consistent new-ball and death-overs threat during his time with the franchise.
9. Marco Jansen — 4/13 vs Capitals (Gqeberha, 22 Jan 2025)
Almost exactly a year after his 5/30 in Cape Town, Marco Jansen returned to Gqeberha and produced another four-wicket haul for Sunrisers Eastern Cape, this time against Pretoria Capitals.
The repeat appearance highlights sustained excellence across multiple SA20 seasons rather than a single standout spell.
10. Anrich Nortje — 4/13 vs Paarl Royals (Paarl, 27 Dec 2025)
One of the fastest bowlers in world cricket, Anrich Nortje rounds out the list with a hostile four-wicket spell for Sunrisers Eastern Cape against Paarl Royals on their home turf.
His raw pace and steep bounce have long made him a nightmare matchup for top-order batters, and this spell shows that threat translating directly into SA20’s record books.
What These Figures Reveal: Patterns Behind SA20’s Best Spells
Viewed as a group rather than ten isolated performances, the list reveals patterns a simple ranking doesn’t show on its own:
- One team dominates the record books. Sunrisers Eastern Cape bowlers account for 6 of the 10 best bowling figures in SA20 history — van der Merwe, Baartman (three times), Jansen (twice), and Nortje all feature. No other franchise has more than two entries on the list.
- Gqeberha is the toughest venue for batters. St George’s Park in Gqeberha hosts 4 of the top 10 spells, more than any other ground, pointing to a surface that consistently favors bowlers.
- Defending totals produces better figures than attacking with the new ball. 8 of the 10 spells came bowling second, meaning most of SA20’s greatest bowling performances happened under the pressure of defending a target rather than with the freedom of a fresh new-ball spell.
- Pace and spin are almost evenly split. Five of the ten entries belong to seam bowlers (Baartman, Jansen twice, Nortje, Dala), the rest to spinners (van der Merwe, Noor Ahmad) plus one part-time bowling all-rounder (Potgieter), showing SA20 rewards variation over any single bowling style.
Venue Breakdown: Where SA20’s Best Bowling Figures Happen
Some venues have produced more memorable bowling performances than others in SA20. Here’s a look at the grounds where the tournament’s best bowling figures have been recorded.
| Ground | Appearances in Top 10 |
|---|---|
| Gqeberha (St George’s Park) | 4 |
| Cape Town | 2 |
| Durban | 2 |
| Centurion | 1 |
| Paarl | 1 |
Innings Split: First Innings vs. Second Innings
Compare the best bowling figures recorded in the first and second innings of SA20 matches. This split highlights when bowlers have enjoyed the greatest success in the tournament.
| Innings | Entries | Share of Top 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Bowling First | 2 | 20% |
| Bowling Second | 8 | 80% |
Conclusion
SA20’s best bowling figures tell a story bigger than any single spell, from van der Merwe’s record-setting 6/20 to a clear Sunrisers Eastern Cape stronghold on the record books and Gqeberha’s reputation as a bowler’s stronghold.
Whether it’s spin, pace, or a surprise part-timer like Delano Potgieter, these ten performances capture the moments bowlers took full control of a T20 innings. As SA20 grows, this list will keep evolving, but for now, these are the spells that defined it.
FAQs
Roelof van der Merwe holds the record with figures of 6/20 for Sunrisers Eastern Cape against Durban’s Super Giants in Gqeberha on 22 January 2023.
No. Van der Merwe’s 6/20 remains the only six-wicket haul recorded in SA20 history to date.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape, with six of the top 10 bowling performances in SA20 history coming from their bowlers across different seasons.
Second. Eight of the ten best bowling figures in SA20 history were recorded by bowlers defending a total, rather than bowling first.
