Match in a Glimpse:
Looking to increase our gap at the top of the table, we travelled to Boland Park to face off against Paarl Royals. Kusal Mendis made his debut in Pitori Blue, replacing Phil Salt who was out with illness.
Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, Ferisco Adams’ bowling restricted us to 158/6. Despite fighting till the last over, David Miller and Jos Buttler guided the Royals to a 6-wicket victory.
A Lukewarm Start:
Paarl was our next destination in our quick away tour ahead of the break. Skipper Wayne Parnell called it right at the toss and opted to bat first at Boland Park.
We opened with a new pair with Kusal Mendis making his SA20 debut and Will Jacks, our man in form. Unfortunately, Bjorn Fortuin got into the attack for the Royals right in the first over dismissing Jacks.
Kusal Mendis and Theunis de Bruyn built a 52-run partnership. However, the Sri Lankan lost his wicket to Tabraiz Shamsi with David Miller taking a stellar one-handed catch. At the halfway mark of the innings, we were 75/2.
De Bruyn and Assists - A Love Story for Ages:
Rilee Rossouw smashed some quick boundaries to accelerate our innings before Ferisco Adams got the last laugh to bowl him out.
On the other end, de Bruyn played the perfect anchor with his cautious, yet impactful batting. After scoring an important knock of 53, Theunis fell to a slower ball off Adams who got his second of the afternoon. Soon after, Lungi Ngidi got the better of Eathan Bosch.
Skipper Wayne Parnell and Jimmy Neesham finished the innings with some fireworks and powered us to 158/6 to put us in a commanding position.
The Royal Chase Begins:
The Royals got off to a flying start courtesy Wihan Lubbe and Jason Roy. Who else but Eathan Bosch got us the breakthrough by taking out the English opener. Adil Rashid cast his magic as the ball breezed past Lubbe’s glove and Kusal Mendis collected it behind the wicket.
Jos Buttler continued from where he left off last night to edge the home team closer to the target. Dane Vilas played second fiddle to the explosive Englishmen putting the Royals in the driver’s seat.
Heartbreak at Boland Park:
Skipper Parnell turned to Will Jacks in what proved to be a fruitful bowling change, dismissing both Vilas and Buttler in the same over. With the match going right into the last over, Royals skipper David Miller smashed consecutive boundaries off Anrich Nortje in the final over taking the game away from us.
Paarl Royals finished their last home game on a winning note defeating us by 6 wickets.
The Road Ahead:
We head to Newlands next to take on MI Cape Town in our final match before the break.
Brief Scores: Pretoria Capitals: 158/6, Theunis de Bruyn - 53 (47), Kusal Mendis - 37 (26), Ferisco Adams - 2/38, Lungi Ngidi - 1/19 lost to Paarl Royals: Jos Buttler - 37 (28), David Miller - 28 (14), Will Jacks - 2/7, Adil Rashid - 1/26
Player of the Match: David Miller
