Paarl Royals, having tasted a defeat in their away game against Durban Super Giants, hit back with a 10-run victory against the same team at home. Wihan Lubbe’s 36-ball 57, along with useful contributions from Jos Buttler and David Miller, helped the Royals post a competitive 169/6 at the Boland Park in Paarl on Tuesday (January 17). Heinrich Klaasen scored an unbeaten 56 off 39 in the chase but the Super Giants lost wickets regularly, with Bjorn Fortuin (3-14) and Evan Jones (4-32) making key incisions, as they finished with 159/8.

The Super Giants got off to a positive start as Kyle Mayers struck a couple of boundaries while Wiaan Mulder hit a six inside the first three overs. But they slipped to 29/3 by the time the fifth over was completed, as Mayers was caught and bowled by Bjorn Fortuin, who also had Quinton de Kock bowled and Dwaine Pretorius trapped in front off successive deliveries. The quick wickets meant that the Super Giants could only score 37 in the powerplay and they suffered a further setback when Mulder, having hit a six off Tabraiz Shamsi, fell to the same bowler.

Klaasen then hit three fours in the 10th overe off Shamsi but Jason Holder, who struck a six off Evan Jones, fell soon after to leave the Super Giants in more trouble at 78/5. Klaasen and Christiaan Jonker tried to revive the innings but the latter became Jones’s second wicket. Keshav Maharaj hit three fours in his 17 but Jones bagged his wicket and that of Hardus Viljoen in successive deliveries, leaving the Super Giants with 33 to get off 12, with their hopes resting on Klaasen.

Klaasen struck a six off Ngidi off the final ball in the 19th over, which yielded 14 runs, to bring up a 36-ball fifty. With 19 needed in the final over, Jones kept it tight as he gave away only six off the first four deliveries, including a leg-bye, which meant that the Super Giants needed two big hits to tie the game. Despite a wide bowled by Jones, which made it 12 off 2, Prenelan Subrayen couldn’t get the job done as the Super Giants fell short.

Earlier, having been asked to bat, the Royals had a slow start and lost Jason Roy in the third over as he was bowled by Viljoen. Buttler then got into the act, scoring a four and a six off Reece Topley to bring up 9000 runs in T20 cricket. The Royals managed 43 in the powerplay before Lubbe took on Maharaj, reverse-sweeping the spinner for a four and a six in the seventh over. The second wicket pair added 53 but their partnership ended when Buttler was stumped off Maharaj.

The Royals, who had scored 72 at the halfway stage, pressed on thanks to Lubbe scoring regular boundaries, while he also cleared the deep midwicket fence off Pretorius and brought up a 33-ball fifty with a six over long leg off Topley in the 16th. But he fell in the same over, getting an inside edge onto the stumps. Pretorius picked up the wicket of Eoin Morgan soon after but some useful runs from Miller, who struck two fours and a six, helped the Royals get quick runs in the death. Miller was dismissed by Pretorius in the final over but Ferisco Adams hit a six as the Royals finished just short of 170, having scored 50 off the last five overs.

Brief scores: Paarl Royals 169/6 in 20 overs (Wihan Lubbe 57, Jos Buttler 35; Dwaine Pretorius 2-25) beat Durban Super Giants 159/8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 56*; Evan Jones 4-32, Bjorn Fortuin 3-14) by 10 runs.