Paarl — The Paarl Royals resurrected their Betway SA20 campaign by toppling the league-leaders Pretoria Capitals at Boland Park on Sunday.
The Royals have struggled to put a complete performance together for the last couple of matches, but finally found their batting rhythm to complement their impressive bowlers.
In the pressure games it is often the senior players that need to take responsibility and captain David Miller finally delivered an innings of substance for the Royals.
The Royals skipper hasn't been in the groove during the SA20, but that all changed in their last home game as he struck an unbeaten 28 off 14 balls to take his team over the line.
The pressure was certainly on at the start of the final over when Anrich Nortje was standing at the top of his mark gearing up to defend 10 runs.
But Miller carved his Proteas teammate over extra cover off the first ball before squeezing out a second successive boundary down to fine leg to reduce the equation to two runs off three balls.
Miller and Mitchell van Buuren hurried through for a single off the next ball before Van Buuren completed the job to send the Royals faithful into raptures.
It was a much-deserved six-wicket victory as the entire Royals batting unit contributed to the victory.
Jason Roy showed glimpses of his destructive force in compiling 21 off 16 balls. Wihan Lubbe, who was promoted to open the innings, struck 29 off 22 balls, while Jos Buttler also belted 37 off 28 balls to take the Royals close.
It required a team effort for the Capitals posted the second highest SA20 score at this venue on Sundayday.
The visitors swapped up their overseas professionals at the top of the order with Sri Lankan Kusal Mendis being drafted into the starting XI for Englishman Phil Salt.
Mendis' experience of slow turning sub-continental conditions was a plan to negate the impact of Royals' impressive left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin.
The match had started in customary fashion with Fortuin striking in the first over by trapping Will Jacks LBW, but from there Mendis took the attack to Fortuin.
He utilized the sweep to good effect and also drove down the ground to unsettle Fortuin, who finished with his most expensive figures (1/32) at his home ground this tournament.
Mendis and Theunis de Bruyn formed a solid 52-run partnership to rebuild the Capitals innings after Fortuin's initial strike.
De Bruyn held it all together with 53 off 47 balls before he received support from Jimmy Neesham to lift the Capitals to 158/6.
But unfortunately it was not enough on another glorious sun lit day in the Boland.
IOL Sport