MI Cape Town hold off Paarl Royals for vital SA20 win

The Mumbai Indians Cape Town managed to hold off the Paarl Royals by 13-runs in a tightly contested SA20 match at Boland Park in Paarl on Saturday afternoon.

It was a low scoring game, with MI CT batting first and managing 142/9 in their 20 overs, before the Royals could only respond with 129/6 as they felt well short in the end.

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A sparkling half century from Jos Buttler, who cracked 68 off 58 balls (9×4) and was given the man-of-the-match award for his efforts despite being on the losing side, had kept the home team in the game until the penultimate over, but with little support, his wicket ended their chance of chasing down the score.

It was a solid all-round bowling effort from MI CT, as their bowlers kept the Royals largely in check throughout the innings, and didn’t allow the hosts to hit a single six in the inning.

The Royals innings got off to a poor start as George Linde produced a double strike in the third over, having Jason Roy (4) caught at long off and Wihan Lubbe bowled for a first ball duck with the score 9/2.

Buttler had to continue watching a procession from the other end as Kagiso Rabada cleaned up Dane Vilas (2) in the sixth over, and Rashid Khan bowled Mitchell van Buuren (1) with the googly, as the Royals slipped to 30/4 in the seventh over.

Buttler then finally received some support from his captain David Miller, 26 off 24 balls (2×4) as they set about a 59-run fifth wicket stand.

With them having worked their side into a position of trying to chase down the score, with 54 needed off 30 balls, Miller promptly got out, miscuing a slog off Rabada to Jofra Archer at mid-on leaving them on 89/5 at the start of the 16th over.

After scoring 13 off Archer’s 17^th over, the Royals then received two massive let offs in Rabada’s 18^th as Buttler and new man Evan Jones (13no) were dropped off the first two balls, allowing both batters to crack a four each over the last three balls as 13 came off it.

This left 23 needed off the last two overs, but Archer made up for his drop by having Buttler caught behind by keeper Grant Roelofsen off the second ball of the penultimate over, while conceding just four runs off it, leaving the home side with too much to do in the last.

Linde, 2/23, and Rabada, 2/27, were the key wicket takers, but Khan’s 1/16 in his four overs was arguably the best bowling effort.

Disastrous start

At the start of play the Royals won the toss and sent MI CT into bat, with the visitors getting off to a disastrous start.

Bjorn Fortuin was in immaculate form as always, catching Ryan Rickleton (5) off his own bowling, Sam Curran (2) was then run out after a mix up in the middle, and Dewald Brevis (2) was the trapped LBW, all in Fortuin’s first two overs leaving the visitors on 9/3 after three overs.

Roelofsen, 34 off 30 balls (3×4) was then joined at the crease by Rassie van der Dussen, 49 off 42 (4×4; 1×6) and they set about rebuilding the innings with a positive 63-run fourth wicket stand.

They targeted the last two overs of the powerplay, cracking Fortuin for 10 and Lungi Ngidi for 12, as they reached 32/3 at that stage, before taking their side to 62/3 at the halfway mark, bringing up their 50 partnership off 39 balls along the way.

An action packed start to the 13^th over bowled by Ferisco Adams then saw Roelofsen dropped by Miller at extra cover, only for him to hit the very next ball straight to the same man to be caught with them on 72/4.

The in-form Linde, 24 off 14 (2×4; 1×6), then came in to produce a quick cameo, cracking a couple of fours and then a six off Tabraiz Shamsi, only for the bowler to get his revenge off the next ball by knocking his off stump back.

Shamsi had Delano Potgieter stumped by keeper Buttler for a duck in the same over leaving MI CT on 103/6 in the 16^th over.

Odean Smith (6) didn’t hang about, Khan cracked a couple of fours in a seven ball 13, while Van Der Dussen stuck around until the penultimate ball of the innings when he fell a run short of what would have been a well-deserved half century, caught by Roy off Adams, but he had helped his side to a defendable score by then.

Fortuin, 2/22, Shamsi, 2/27, Ngidi, 2/29, and Adams, 2/31, all contributed to the decent bowling effort.