Our run in the league stages of SA20 proved to be as eXXciting as expected, guaranteeing us a spot in the semi-finals. Keeping up with the same spirit, we prepare for our last league match; a clash with Paarl Royals.
Finishing the League Stage on a High:
Our penultimate league game ended with a tough defeat against Durban’s Super Giants. After a day’s break to reflect on the learnings, we get set to #RoarSaamMore against Paarl Royals in our final league match.
The Royals took the win in their home leg after a last-over thriller, overshadowing a steady but effective knock by our stand-in skipper Theunis de Bruyne. With a semi-finals spot on their mind, David Miller and Co. will aim to win with a bonus point.
On the other hand, we have already secured the top spot in the league and are preparing for our semi-final clash in Johannesburg.
Race for Top Wicket Taker in SA20:
Over the course of the league stages, Anrich Nortje and Bjorn Fortuin have been the stand-out bowlers for Pretoria Capitals and Paarl Royals respectively. While the pacer has claimed 15 wickets in 8 innings, the spinner has bagged 13 in the same number of innings. Therefore, both players will play a key role in determining the match's outcome for their respective sides.
Another High-Scoring Contest?
Centurion has established itself as a ground that favours big hitters in SA20. The prime testament to this is that two of the four 200+ scores in SA20 have been scored at this ground.
With Jos Buttler at their disposal, the Royals will be keen on accelerating their batting innings. Skipper David Miller can prove to be an added threat to our Pitori bowlers. Despite his lukewarm T20 record at Centurion in which he is averaging 30.20 in 18 innings, our bowling unit will look to take the fight to the Royals’ captain.
Playing to their home advantage, our Pretoria batters will focus on attacking the Royals’ bowlers from ball one. Phil Salt who missed out on playing against the Royals at Boland Park would be one to watch out for in this encounter. The Englishman is yet to unleash similar fireworks as the ones displayed at the start of the season. Since the pressure of qualification will be on Paarl Royals, Salt can play his natural game and get back in form before the semi-finals.
In the absence of Wayne Parnell, we will be counting on Jimmy Neesham to bring in the fireworks towards the end.
What’s At Stake?
We may have sealed our semi-final spot, but we cannot take our foot off the gas just yet. This match will serve as a litmus test for our boys ahead of our semi-final clash at Wanderers. We will look to tie up all loose ends, to minimise errors in the knock-out stages. Most importantly, this will be our last match in front of our home fans. Therefore, we would target to head out by making our fans proud.
Paarl Royals have virtually qualified for the semi-finals, standing fourth in the points table. However, they are level at points with Durban’s Super Giants. In order to guarantee their spot, they need to avoid defeat by a heavy margin against us.
Safe to say, DSG supporters across the globe will be keeping a close eye on this match!
Match Details:
Match Details: Feb 7, 5:30 PM SAST | Centurion, Pretoria
Watch LIVE: Supersport TV (Sub-Saharan Africa) & Sports 18/JioCinema (India)
