MI Cape Town Beat Paarl Royals to Enter Maiden SA20 Final
MI Cape Town secured their first-ever appearance in a SA20 final with a clinical 39-run victory over the Paarl Royals in Qualifier 1 at St George’s Park.
Gqeberha: MI Cape Town secured their first-ever appearance in a SA20 final with a clinical 39-run victory over the Paarl Royals in Qualifier 1 at St George’s Park.
Dominant Performance by MI Cape Town
Robin Peterson’s team were dominant from the start after being put in to bat by Royals skipper David Miller. Opening batters Ryan Rickelton (44 off 27 balls) and Rassie van der Dussen (40 off 32 balls) gave MI Cape Town a solid foundation, putting on an impressive 87-run opening stand in just 9.2 overs.
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Mid-Innings Fightback by Royals
The Royals fought back by claiming three wickets for just six runs, leaving MI Cape Town at 91/3. However, the momentum shifted again in favor of the table-toppers as George Linde smashed three sixes in his quick-fire 14-ball 26.
Strong Finish in the Final Overs
The Royals lost their discipline with a couple of waist-high full tosses, which led to Dayyaan Galiem being forced out of the attack. This opened the door for Dewald Brevis (44 not out off 30 balls) and Delano Potgieter (32 not out off 17 balls) to add 74 runs in the last five overs, guiding MI Cape Town to a total of 199/4.
Royals’ Run-Chase Falls Short
The Royals began their run-chase aggressively with Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Mitchell Owen taking 21 runs off Trent Boult’s opening over. However, Pretorius’s cameo (15 off six balls) was quickly cut short by Kagiso Rabada. From there, the Royals struggled to build momentum, with captain David Miller being the only notable contributor, scoring 45 runs off 26 balls.
Rashid Khan Makes History
In a moment of individual brilliance, MI Cape Town’s skipper Rashid Khan became the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, surpassing West Indian legend Dwayne Bravo when he clean bowled Royals all-rounder Dunith Wellalage.
MI Cape Town Advances to Final
MI Cape Town now advances directly to Saturday’s final at the Wanderers, while the Royals will have another shot at qualification in Thursday’s Qualifier 2 at Centurion.
