Paarl Royals Vs MI Cape Town Match Report
The ninth game of the SA20 2025 series has been won by the Paarl Royals against MI Cape Town in a thrilling encounter at Boland Park, Paarl, by six wickets. Some sparkling batting performances and wily bowling made for an exciting contest.
While MI Cape Town batted first and put on board a respectable total of 158 for 4 in the prescribed 20 overs, the mainstay for MI Cape Town had to be Rassie van der Dussen, not out with 91 off 64 balls with 5 fours and 5 sixes, whose innings was imperative in setting up a stiff target, particularly after Azmatullah Omarzai’s early exit for 13. Reeza Hendricks managed 30 runs, while the late-order contributions from George Linde and Dewald Brevis were ended by the spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who took two wickets
for 27 runs.
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Mujeeb led the bowling attack, economical and effective, while Bjorn Fortuin and Dunith Wellalage bowled well in patches, inhibiting the run rate through several phases of MI Cape Town’s innings.
While chasing down a total of 159, the Paarl Royals raced off the blocks but quickly lost Joe Root for 15. Though it started shakily, Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored a brilliant 83 from 52 deliveries, hammering 8 fours and 3 sixes, before a chemistry lapse led him to be run out. In the late charge of the run chase, Mitchell Van Buuren hit 22 to set it up for the finish. His captain, David Miller, affixed 24 not out from 20 balls, calming the nerves in the closing stages. Dinesh Karthik kicked in with a speedy 10, but it was Andile Phehlukwayo’s elaborate finishing touch with an unbeaten 1 that finally sealed the deal for the Royals in the penultimate over.
Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada were the opening bowlers for MI Cape Town and claimed a wicket apiece, while the most significant contributor was undoubtedly Rashid Khan with his figures of 1 for 22 and executing a very important run-out. Nevertheless, 158 was never to be enough against the battling batsmen of the Royals, particularly in the under-pressure innings by Pretorius.
CURRENT SA20 STANDINGS AFTER 9TH MATCH
