Pretoria Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj inflicted an upset of note, beating the Paarl Royals in their own backyard at Boland Park on Saturday afternoon.
Maharaj returned figures of 2/14, helping the visiting Pretoria Capitals defend 138 runs—a total many would have believed was below par at the halfway mark of the match. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi (1/35) was also crucial to the Capitals’ victory, setting the tone beautifully with the new ball by removing Lhuan-dre Pretorius with the second delivery of the match.
Ngidi bowled full and straight, shaping the ball into the left-handed batter and trapping him in front of the stumps to get the Pretoria Capitals’ defence off to a perfect start. From there, the Capitals kept the pressure on the home side, drying up the runs and ensuring they did not score too freely in the powerplay, where the Royals managed only 34/2.
Lizaad Williams (1/21), Gideon Peters (1/11), and Wihan Lubbe (1/20) all chipped in with a wicket apiece as the Capitals registered a 21-run victory.
Paarl Royals captain David Miller produced a fighting innings of 45 from 36 balls, a knock which saw the 36-year-old smash four maximums.
Earlier, the Paarl Royals had continued their dominance at home as they reduced the visiting Pretoria Capitals to 138/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Ever since Sikandar Raza joined the Royals earlier in the season, he has been a class above the rest, and on Saturday, the right-arm off-spinner continued his impressive run. He returned 2/13 in his four-over spell, taking the big wickets of Dewald Brevis (12) and Roston Chase (9) to cheer what was a decent crowd at Boland Park.
Englishman Dan Lawrence also put in a proper shift in his home game, returning figures of 2/19 in two overs to help the Royals assert their dominance. Fast bowler Hardus Viljoen chipped in with a good spell, taking 2/25 in two overs, while Nqobani Mokoena played a part with figures of 1/33.
All-rounder Sherfane Rutherford fought a lone fight with the bat for the Pretoria Capitals, finishing unbeaten on 42 off 35 deliveries — a knock that saw the left-handed batter smash three maximums and as many fours.
His fellow countryman, Shai Hope, was the next best with the bat, contributing 22 off 21 to help the visitors reach an under-par but ultimately defendable total.
Full Scorecard
Pretoria Capitals 138/9 (Sherfane Rutherford 42; Sikandar Raza 2/13, Dan Lawrence 2/19)
Paarl Royals 117/6 (David Miller 45 ; Keshav Maharaj 2/14, Lungi Ngidi 1/35)
Pretoria Capitals won by 21 runs
