The Betway SA20 playoff race intensified on Saturday with defending champions MI Cape Town and Pretoria Capitals recording crucial away victories over Joburg Super Kings and Paarl Royals.
Ryan Rickelton made history at the Wanderers when he became the first batter in the Betway SA20 to score multiple centuries with an unbeaten 113 (60 balls, 8×4, 9×6) to lift MI Cape Town to 234/3 before George Linde (2/30) and Kagiso Rabada (2/34) dismantled JSK’s top-order to power MI Cape Town to a resounding 36-run win.
Fellow opener Rassie van der Dussen also played his part with a striking 65 (32 balls, 4×4, 6×6) that set up MI Cape Town’s innings with Rickelton as the pair rekindled memories of their record 200-run opening stand at the Bullring two seasons ago with another power packed 129-run partnership in just 10.2 overs.
JSK’s run-chase was hampered after their captain Faf du Plessis could not bat due to injury leaving James Vince (77, 43 balls, 10×4, 3×6) and young Dian Forrester (80 not out, 42 balls, 4×4, 5×6) to lead JSK’s run chase.
Forrester was ultimately not able to take his team over the line, but the 25-year-old will no doubt take plenty of confidence into JSK’s remaining matches after his maiden Betway SA20 half-century.
The victory lifted MI Cape Town off the bottom of the table for the first time this season and are now in fifth position with 10 points after successive El Clasico derby victories.
The Capitals, meanwhile, rallied on the back of some outstanding bowling to defend their below par total to pull off a heist against Paarl Royals at a steaming Boland Park.
The Capitals’ 138/9 looked about 20 runs short on Saturday afternoon but Lungi Ngidi (1/35), Lizaad Williams (1/21), Wihan Lubbe (1/20), Gideon Peters (1/11), Keshav Maharaj (2/14) all contributed with the ball to restrict the Royals to 117/6 to earn a 21-run victory.
On a sluggish surface that assisted both bowling units throughout, the contest was ultimately decided by the battle of the two big-hitting southpaws Sherfane Rutherford and David Miller.
Rutherford has been excellent throughout the competition for Capitals, and once again took the responsibility upon his shoulders to push his team up to competitive total.
With only Shai Hope contributing 22 off 21 balls upfront, Rutherford was content to bide his time initially before exploding at the death with two sixes off Hardus Viljoen’s last over to finish unbeaten on 42 off 35 balls (3×4, 3×6).
The Royals’ chase was pegged back immediately when Ngidi picked up Lhuan-dre Pretorius second ball which left Miller to lead from the front and match Rutherford’s earlier big-hitting heroics, and he looked to be turning the game in the Royals’ favour with successive sixes off Ngidi in the 16th over.
Although he smashed one further maximum off Williams, the run-rate was still escalating due to his partner Delano Potgieter’s timing deserting him at this crucial juncture as the Royals were left needing a virtually impossible 30 runs off the final over.
Miller (45 off 36 balls, 4×6) perished in the process, falling off Williams’ first ball, and with it went any chance of an improbable Royals victory.
The Capitals are now joined with the Royals on 15 points, but the Centurion side are placed higher in third position due to their superior 0.016 Net Run-Rate (NRR). The Royals have played one game less, but have a NRR of -1.075.
