SA20: JSK top-order falls flat again, thumped by Paarl Royals

The Joburg Super Kings top-order fell flat once again and this time there was no recovery as the Paarl Royals flattened them by seven wickets with 57 balls to spare in their SA20 match at Boland Park in Paarl on Friday.

Having won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch that was comfortable for batting, the Super Kings collapsed to 81 all out in the 18^th over. Paarl Royals then breezed past that in 10-and-a-half overs, earning a valuable bonus point in the process, lifting their mood considerably after their heavy defeat to MI Cape Town at Newlands on opening night.

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Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin was the destroyer in chief, opening the bowling and taking 3/16 in his four overs.

Fortuin struck twice in his third over, trapping a sweeping Janneman Malan lbw for 2 and then, three balls later, beating a charging Reeza Hendricks (4) in the flight, bowling a quicker, flatter delivery which was mistimed to mid-on.

The innings was really on the skids in the next over when Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis (2) slashed Lungi Ngidi (4-0-13-1) straight to third man, leaving the visitors 9/3.

Donovan Ferreira, after rescuing Joburg from 27/4 in their triumphant opening match, had no effect on the crisis this time as he was bowled by an Evan Jones inswinger for just six.

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The strongly-built Jones took two more wickets to wrap up the innings, but not before the last three in the batting order had scored almost half of the total.

Alzarri Joseph scored 13 before Lizaad Williams (17*) and Aaron Phangiso (10) shared the biggest partnership of the innings as they added 26 for the 10^th wicket.

Batting malaria did not spread

The batting malaria did not spread to the Paarl Royals outfit as Jos Buttler saw them home with 29 not out off 21 balls. Wihan Lubbe scored 19 off 13 deliveries as he and Buttler added 34 off 20 balls for the second wicket.

Fast bowler Joseph looked promising with the ball, conceding just 14 runs in his three overs, but the recurring woes of the Joburg Super Kings top-order meant he did not have nearly enough runs to play with.