Rutherford's all-round performance hands Capitals their first win

Sherfane Rutherford scored a brilliant unbeaten 47 and took 4/24 to lead the Pretoria Capitals to an 85-run win over MICape Town in their Betway SA20 match at Newlands Stadium on Wednesday night.

Keshav Maharaj, the Capitals captain, called correctly at the toss and elected to bat first. His side answered that call by putting an impressive 220/5 on the board. MICape Town stumbled to 135 in 14.2 overs in their chase. This is the Capitals' first win of the season and it lifts them above MICape Town, who are yet to record a win.

Wihan Lubbe set the Capitals up for the victory with a well-played half-century. The visitors were in trouble, on 38/3 after 5.3 overs, when he arrived at the crease.

“We went a little behind the eight ball but the platform by Wihan and Shai hope set it up well for Sherfane and Brevis at the end,” Maharaj shared.

Lubbe consolidated and rebuilt the Capitals' innings with a 88-run fourth-wicket partnership with Shai Hope (45) off 55 balls. Lubbe reached his third SA20 half-century, and his 13th in the format, during the course of their partnership. He smashed a booming drive for a boundary off the 31st delivery he faced to reach the milestone.

“I think we started really well as a bowling unit, but for the second game in a row, we gave away too many runs at the death, around 60 in the final overs. When you look at it, there is a massive difference between chasing 180 or 190 and chasing 220. I feel that's where we let the game slip away,” Rashid Khan, the MICape Town captain, shared after the contest.

Sherfane Rutherford capitalised on the platform laid by Lubbe and Hope by bashing an unbeaten 15-ball 47 (6X6). He added 86 runs in 30 balls in Dewald Brevis' company. Brevis added an unbeaten 36 from 13.

However, Rutherford wasn't done yet. The Guyanese allrounder took four wickets for 24 runs in three overs. These are his career-best bowling figures. He was named the Player of the Match for his exploits. Rutherford was supported by Keshav Maharaj, who finished the match with three wickets for 28 runs in four overs.

MICape Town had a better powerplay than the Capitals. The hosts were on 63/1 after the first six overs, compared to the Capitals' 39/3 at the same stage. However, MICape Town, who benefited from the Capitals' lapses in the field, which led to three dropped catches in the first 10 overs, lost their way in the middle overs.

They maintained a high strike rate but lost wickets at a regular rate. Nicholas Pooran (25), who registered a strike rate of 416.6, was at the crease for only six deliveries, while Rassie van der Dussen (28) and Reeza Hendricks' (18) combined strike rate of 139, added a mere 46 runs to the total.

Only one of the seven batters outside the top four reached double figures as the Capitals ran riot. That was Corbin Bosch, who scored an unbeaten 10 from eight balls. Rickelton, who was dropped twice, top-scored for MICape Town with a 17-ball 33.

Kagiso Rabada was MICape Town’s most successful bowler with two wickets for 48 runs in four overs. Trent Boult, George Linde, and Corbin Bosch chipped in with a wicket each.

MI CAPE TOWN: Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Smith, Dwaine Pretorius, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada (capt), Trent Boult.

PRETORIA CAPITALS: Will Smeed, Bryce Parsons, Shai Hope (wk), Dewald Brevis, Connor Esterhuizen, Sherfane Rutherford, Wihan Lubbe, Keshav Maharaj (capt), Lizaad Williams, Tymal Mills, Lungi Ngidi.