Rossouw says ‘fearless’ Capitals are ready for battle in SA20 final

Big-hitting top-order batter Rilee Rossouw was relieved to find top gear when it counted most, carrying the Pretoria Capitals to victory over the Paarl Royals in the first semi-final of the inaugural SA20 series at the Wanderers.

Rossouw laid the foundation for the Capitals with his 44th career T20 half-century on Wednesday night, contributing 56 runs off 41 balls at a strike rate of 136.58 as he led the Capitals to a 29-run win in their playoff clash.

The part-time spinner also went on to take a rare wicket, removing Eoin Morgan and giving away just three runs in his single over with the ball.

READ MORE: Pretoria Capitals beat Royals, qualify for SA20 final

Having scored just 127 runs from 10 innings in the opening round, Rossouw was delighted to be able to lead his team into the final.

“Form is temporary but class is permanent, so it was just a mindset for me today, knowing that I am good and I can play in this format,” said Rossouw, who was named Player of the Match.

“I’ve played at higher levels as well, so it was just about really knuckling down, backing my ability and playing with a positive intent.”

Superb form

The Capitals won seven of their 10 matches in the round robin stage, finishing top of the table, and they were confident of lifting the trophy in Saturday’s final at the Wanderers (against the Joburg super Kings or the Sunrisers Eastern Cape) after gelling well together as a unit.

“When the tournament started we talked about building a family, and the guys really bought into that and they believed in the process of backing each other through the good times and the tough times,” Rossouw said.

“We’ve got a very well balanced side and everybody looks after each other in all departments.”

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In the final of the popular new T20 league, Rossouw felt it would be crucial to adjust to the conditions in a rainy Johannesburg.

“I think the key thing from the start will be summing up the conditions the fastest you can,” he said.

“We can only presume that the wicket is going to be similar to the way it was today (in their semi-final) but we’ll need to assess the conditions and just play basic cricket with our brand of fearlessness.”