Paarl Royals climbed to second place in the SA20 standings on Sunday, cruising to a commanding seven-wicket win over defending champions MI Cape Town (MICT) at Newlands.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, MICT did not get off to the best start, but with their top four batters all reaching double figures they would have felt they still had a chance to rack up a decent total after reaching 61/4 in the 13th over.
But they lost their last six wickets for just 27 runs (and their last five wickets tumbled for eight) as they were bowled out for 88 with 10 balls remaining in their innings.
The Royals attack were impressive, putting consistent pressure on the hosts, spearheaded by veteran Zimbabwe spin bowler Sikandar Raza who took 4/13 and played a key role in MICT’s lower-order collapse.
Raza was well supported by seamers Ottneil Baartman, who grabbed 2/8, and Nqobani Mokoena, who returned 2/10.
“To see our bowling performance today was certainly a big tick of the box,” said Raza, who was named Player of the Match.
“We only took two powerplay wickets but we didn’t let them get away from us. We kept them on the rocks and it helped our bowling momentum after the powerplay.”
Paarl Royals innings
In response, the visitors coasted to their target, compiling 90/3 with seven overs to spare.
Opener Asa Tribe laid the foundation by hitting 34 runs off 28 balls, and though he was bowled by Rashid Khan in the 11th over, the rest of the Royals batters did enough to carry them over the line.
While the Royals earned their third win in four games, and were just two points behind log leaders Joburg Super Kings with a game in hand, MI Cape Town remained stranded at the bottom of the SA20 table after five fixtures. They were the only team in the competition without a win.
“It’s quite disappointing, to be honest. Not the kind of cricket champion teams play,” said Afghan international Rashid, the MICT captain.
“It’s good that it has happened earlier rather than later and we still have an opportunity to qualify (for the playoffs).”
