In a heart-stopping finish that had fans on the edge of their seats, the Paarl Royals clinched a dramatic one-run victory against their rivals MI Cape Town in the SA20 league on Friday night. The thrilling Western Cape derby, played at Boland Park, was ultimately decided by a brilliant, unbeaten 98 from young opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius and a nerve-wracking final over from seamer Ottniel Baartman.
Pretorius' Masterclass Sets the Stage
After a quiet start to the fourth season of the SA20, teenage sensation Lhuan-dre Pretorius exploded back to form at his favourite venue. The aggressive opener played a commanding innings, scoring 98 runs from just 65 balls, an innings decorated with 10 fours and two sixes. He formed a devastating opening partnership with Asa Tribe, the duo putting on exactly 100 runs in 10.4 overs to give the Royals a flying start. Tribe contributed a brisk 51 from 34 deliveries before falling to MI Cape Town captain Rashid Khan, who finished with figures of 2/31.
Despite the crowd urging him towards a maiden T20 century, Pretorius was denied the milestone as he ran out of partners, finishing two runs short on 98 not out. His heroics propelled the Paarl Royals to a competitive total of 181 for 3 in their 20 overs.
A Chase That Went Down to the Wire
MI Cape Town's response was equally powerful at the top. Openers Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton launched a fierce assault, putting on 77 runs for the first wicket in just 7.5 overs. Rickelton made 36 before the game took a decisive turn with the introduction of new Royals signing Sikandar Raza. The Zimbabwean all-rounder proved to be the game-changer, taking three crucial wickets for 27 runs. He removed Rickelton and the dangerous Nicholas Pooran before cleaning up Tom Moores with his very first delivery to that batter.
Van der Dussen continued to anchor the chase with a well-made 59, but seamer Ottniel Baartman struck a massive double blow. He claimed the wickets of Van der Dussen and Jason Smith within three balls, severely derailing MI Cape Town's momentum and setting up a grandstand finish.
The Final Over Drama
The match reached a fever pitch with MI Cape Town needing 15 runs from the final over, bowled by Baartman. The momentum seemed to swing towards the visitors when star bowler Kagiso Rabada launched the third ball of the over for a huge six over long-off. However, Baartman showed tremendous character, striking back immediately on the very next delivery. Rabada was caught on the boundary, leaving his side needing six runs from the final ball.
George Linde, facing the last delivery, connected sweetly with a length ball and sent it soaring over cover. For a moment, it looked like the match was tied, but the ball dropped agonizingly inches short of the boundary rope. The Royals secured a memorable one-run win, triggering wild celebrations among the home supporters at Boland Park. Baartman finished with impressive figures of 4/51.
Brief Scores: Paarl Royals 181/3 in 20 overs (Pretorius 98*, Tribe 51; Rashid 2/31) beat MI Cape Town 180/8 in 20 overs (Van der Dussen 59, Rickelton 36; Baartman 4/51, Raza 3/27) by 1 run.
