Classy Root leads Royal parade against the Capitals

The Paarl Royals, led by a magnificent innings from Joe Root, achieved the highest total in this year’s Betway SA20, chasing down 213, for an eight-wicket win over the Pretoria Capitals in Centurion on Saturday afternoon. 

Root, England’s highest ever Test run-scorer, made 92 from 60 balls as the Royals, claimed a third victory this season, reaching their target with two balls to spare. Along the way, Root, who hit 11 fours and two sixes, shared partnerships of 125, with Rubin Hermann, who was making his debut in the competition and an unbeaten 88-run partnership for the third wicket with David Miller, who scored 48 not out. 

Root was forced into a more aggressive approach after the breakout star of this year’s competition, Lhuan-dre Pretorius was dismissed off the first ball of the innings. 

It would have been a chastening experience for 18-year-old Pretorius, who was making his first appearance at his provincial homeground. Many in the ground, despite their allegiances for the Capitals had come to watch the new star of South African cricket, with the grass embankment packed 45 minutes before the match started. 

Pretorius’ father also purchased two suites in the Grandstand for friends and family, many who were left disappointed when Will Jack’s part-time spin ended his innings after just one ball. 

But everyone would have been left in awe of Root’s class. This wasn’t a wild innings filled with funky stroke play. Instead Root, allied an aggressive mindset, with hard hitting and lots of classic conventional shot-making to propel the Royals’s innings.

They were never far from the required run rate — which exceeded 11 an over — and though Miller said there was pressure in the latter stages as they got closer to the target, they were never in danger of coming up short, with Root playing in the way he did. 

There wasn’t much either attack could do on a surface which allowed for shot-making, provided even bounce and little assistance for the spinners. 

The Capitals 23-year-old English import, Will Smeed, who top-scored with 54 off 34 balls, felt his side’s total of 212/5, was about par, illustrating the ease with which batters could play. 

While Root was able to bat through the innings for Paarl, and did so with conventional shots, there was a lot of muscular hitting from the Capitals players. Besides Smeed, Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, made 42 and Kyle Verreynne 45, in what looked a sizeable total.   

Having registered what had been the highest first innings total of the tournament, after choosing to bat, the eight-wicket defeat will be a bitter pill for the Capitals to swallow. 

Despite winning a match — with a bonus point — they still give the impression that they are yet to get started in the competition. Two of their matches have been curtailed by rain, and in their first game, they folded terribly in pursuit of 209 in Durban. 

Time is still on their side and with four play-off spots available, there isn’t cause for stress yet, but they need to build momentum or they could slip out of contention quickly.