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Pretorius, Root lead Paarl Royals to thumping win

golf11 January 2025 14:43| © MWP
By:Neil Manthorp
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Lhuan-dre Pretorius produced a sensational innings of 97 from just 51 balls to lead the Paarl Royals to a stunning nine-wicket victory in a record run-chase in their SA20 match against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape at a sold-out Boland Park in Paarl on Saturday afternoon.

The 18-year-old left hander hooked and swept spinners and seamers alike for half a dozen sixes and added a further ten fours as he dominated an opening stand of 132 with former England captain Joe Root to set up the highest SA20 run chase at the country’s lowest scoring venue.

Earlier Aiden Markram also led from the front with a clever innings of 82 from just 49 balls to lead the defending champions to what most believed would be a highly competitive total of 175-5 after choosing to bat first but the home side galloped to victory with eight balls to spare on 176-1.

Pretorius was eventually trapped lbw by Marco Jansen at the end of the 13th over but Root completed the job with a masterly, unbeaten 62 from 44 balls with four fours and a six while captain David Miller accompanied him across the finish line with 17 not out from as many deliveries.

A typically slow pitch made cover driving difficult for the visitors and there were precious few boundaries on offer but Markram and Tristan Stubbs (28* from 26 balls) stitched together a fourth wicket partnership of 102 having slipped to a precarious 69-3 in the ninth over.

Royals spinners Bjorn Fortuin (4-0-24-0) and Afghan Mujeeb-ur-Rahman (4-0-27-2) were outstanding with another 18-year-old, Kwena Maphaka, not far behind with a fine return of 2-35 from his four overs having conceded 22 runs from his first two overs in the Power Play.

Markram managed just seven fours before seamer Dayyaan Galiem bowled far too full and was straight driven for a pair of sixes before Kwena Maphaka’s brave back-of-the-hand slower ball induced a sliced drive to long off.

Earlier Englishman Zak Crawley’s 27 from 18 balls ended unfortunately when a thick inside-edge against Mujeeb ricocheted off his back pad and into the gloves of ‘keeper Dinesh Karthik while Jordan Hermann (10) toe-ended a drive against the same bowler to Root at cover.

It was the home side’s first match of the competition but they have put a significant, second dent in the Sunrisers’ defence of their title following an embarrassing 97-run defeat to MI Cape Town in the opening fixture in which they were dismissed for just 77.

PAARL ROYALS: Joe Root, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sam Hain, Mitchell Van Buuren, David Miller (captain), Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Dayyaan Galiem, Bjorn Fortuin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi

SUNRISERS EASTERN CAPE: Zak Crawley, Jordan Hermann, Tom Abell, Aiden Markram (captain), Tristan Stubbs (wkt), David Bedingham, Marco Jansen, Liam Dawson, Simon Harmer, Richard Gleeson, Ottneil Baartman

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