MI Cape Town roll over Royals in Paarl

The Mumbai Indians Cape Town won a Betway SA20 match against their cross town rivals the Paarl Royals that was short on big scoring but still offered rich entertainment at Boland Park on Saturday.

MI Cape Town ran out winners by 13 runs, in front of a packed house in a match that Jos Buttler, who top-scored with 68 for the losing team, said demanded a different style of play.

It was certainly the case that batters couldn’t simply swing through the line as they often do in the 20-over format. The slow pace of the pitch meant their skill and intellect was tested, and for many they didn’t pass those examinations.

Both teams suffered top order collapses. MI Cape Town were 9/3 by the third over with Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis too easily deceived by Bjorn Fortuin, while Same Curran was run out.

It took the experienced Rassie van der Dussen and the in-form Grant Roelofsen to rescue Cape Town with a partnership of 63 for the fourth wicket.

Van der Dussen top scored with 49 off 42 balls, and despite scoring at better than a run a ball, still showed excellent patience.

Roelofsen scored 24 hitting some excellent shots against the spinners, while George Linde made 24 off just 14 balls as the Royals bowlers erred in line and length in the last few overs.

The Royals’ top order fared worse than their opponents, losing four wickets before they reached 30, and it needed the experience of Buttler and skipper David Miller to steady the ship.

That duo added 59 runs together and put their side on the path to victory until back-to-back overs from Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada in which just nine runs were conceded forced an error out of Miller.

The clean striking left-hander was caught by Jofra Archer for 26 off Rabada’s bowling, trying to launch one over the midwicket fence.

Still MI Cape Town would make two big errors which kept the Royals’ hopes alive; first Archer dropped Buttler and then Curran missed Jones in the same over bowled by Rabada.

Archer atoned for his error by dismissing Buttler with the first ball of the 19th over for 68 — though he didn’t celebrate enthusiastically, probably because he was still miffed by his miss a few balls earlier.

However he conceded just four runs in the remainder of the over, leaving Odean Smith 19 runs to defend in the final over, which the 26-year-old Jamaican managed smartly.

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