With their fifth win in six games, the SA20’s second-season leaders, Paarl Royals, have kept a comfortable lead over the chasing group. They defeated one of this season’s underachievers, the Johannesburg Super Kings, on Wednesday by chasing down a score of 168 with an over and five wickets remaining.
The mainstay of the chase was a 95-run partnership at the fourth wicket between Dane Vilas (42 off 26) and Wihaan Lubbe (57 off 48). Which they struck when the Royals were lagging behind at 55/3 after nine overs. Lubbe and Vilas found that the Wanderers surface. Which had been difficult to bat on for most of the game, had actually gotten better over the course of the 53 balls that they shared.
Lubbe hit three clutch sixes, but Vilas was the more aggressive of the two batters, scoring his runs with a strike-rate of 161.54. When Lizaad Williams took the bowl, they had 57 off the last five, so the equation was still difficult for them.
Having taken him for a six off deep square-leg, Lubbe then took the following ball off the bat and lofted it over the ‘keeper’s head for four more runs. After the strike was turned over. Vilas hit two fours to take the over to 21 runs. Thereby ending the Super Kings’ chances of winning.
Paarl Royals vs The Super Kings
The Super Kings, who have only one victory in their six games this season. Continued their awful play with this result. In large part because of Reeza Hendricks’ explosive 79 off 56 deliveries. They believed they had reached an above-par score on a challenging surface. As captain Faf du Plessis acknowledged after the match. Leus du Plooy and Moeen Ali both scored fast hits. But in the end the opposition and the changing weather rendered it all meaningless.
Brief scores:
Paarl Royals 171/5 in 19 overs Wihaan Lubbe 57,
Dane Vilas 42, Moeen Ali 2-31 defeated Johannesburg Super Kings 168/3 in 20 overs
Reeza Hendricks 79*; Andile Phehlukwayo 1-18 by five wickets.
