David Miller-led Paarl Royals are having a phenomenal time in the ongoing SA20. The franchise completed a historic five-game 100 per cent home record at Boland Park on Monday. This is the first time any team has gone unbeaten at home throughout the league phase of the competition.
Royals registered a thrilling six-wicket victory over Durban’s Super Giants, who have now been eliminated.
South Africa’s young talent Luhan-dre Pretorius and Kwena Maphaka played a major role in the Royals maintaining their stranglehold on the top of the SA20 table. The Royals now move to 28 points.
The duo did the double act, with Maphaka delivering his best performance thus far with fine figures 2/22 to restrict DSG to 143/7 before Pretorius clubbed 43 off 29 balls in the successful run-chase.
Pretorius reclaimed the top run-scorer position from his opening partner, Joe Root, who was trapped LBW off the first ball of the innings. Pretorius is now the first batter to pass the 300-run mark in Season 3.
Royals have certainly unearthed new young batters this season, and Rubin Hermann also continued his dream debut SA20 season with a superb 59 off 51 balls to set up the chase. Hermann showed great innovation, particularly against the spinner,s as he confidently swept and reverse-swept.
But it was left to allrounder Dayyaan Galiem to smash the winning six with just two balls remaining to take the Royals over the line. After playing five spinners in their line-up in the previous match, the Royals rejigged their bowling line-up with the return of Galiem and Maphaka to the starting XI.
What did Mphaka have to say?
Maphaka delivered his best performance of the competition thus far, with the teenager striking upfront and at the death. He sent down a peach that burst through Brandon King’s defence upfront before flummoxing Heinrich Klaasen with a slower ball.
“I was really itching to put in a good performance. Had not been performing too well, wanted to put up a good performance for the boys and the team,” Maphaka said.
“I have bowled to him (Klaasen) a few times in the nets. That (the slower ball) seemed to work. I probably trained that since I was 12 years old, have it down nicely, so I tried to bowl it, and I was pleased it came off,” he added.
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