Paarl Rocks 98 for 2 (Davids 46, Markram 29) beat Durban Heat 80 for 6 (Miller 22, Fortuin 2-6, Moreki 2-18) by 32 runs (DLS method)
A frustrating rain-filled evening in Durban eventually turned joyful for Paarl Rocks as they lifted themselves off the bottom of the points table.
Paarl were denied their regular complement of overs, thanks to as many as three interruptions. The third break that lasted close to an hour reduced the contest to nine-overs-a-side.
Progressing serenely at 47 without loss in 5.4 overs before the third rain interval, opener Henry Davids teed off in style to hit two fours and a six off the first four deliveries upon resumption. Paarl smashed 51 off the remaining 3.2 overs to finish on 98 for 2, with the target then re-calibrated to 113. This proved 32 too many for the home team.
Durban Heat lost Hashim Amla off the first delivery in their chase, Temba Bavuma off the fifth and Heinrich Klaasen off the fifteenth. That, right there, was game over.
Bjorn Fortuin, the left-arm spinner, was the hero with the ball. He removed Amla with a slider that drifted in to trap him in front of middle and leg as he played all around it. Bavuma toe-ended a slap to Faf du Plessis at cover, while Klaasen mistimed a heave to midwicket off David Wiese.
David Miller blasted 22, but it looked like he was just one mishit away from doom and gloom. When he fell, it soon soon became a question of reducing the margin of defeat to ensure the net-run-rate didn't take a massive dent.
Durban managed just four boundaries in the first four overs. On the night, this simply wasn't good enough.
Among the positives they'll want to look forward with hope was the return of designated captain Albie Morkel. Initially unsure of playing because of a niggle, Morkel returned after scans on his right wrist allayed fears of an injury.
In his previous outing prior to the rain-off fixture, Morkel copped a blow at the non-striker's end when Vernon Philander smacked the ball back ferociously to hit him while taking evasive action. This forced him to retire hurt. On Wednesday, the second ball he faced was a fierce front-of-square pull that showed the injury wasn't as serious as initially perceived to be.
However, on the face of an ever-escalating run rate, Morkel managed just the one six in his nine-ball stay, eventually caught behind trying to cut Tabraiz Shamsi, who brought out the 'telephone' celebration by removing his right boot, dusting the sole off before bringing it to his hear as if to say 'hello' to the dressing room.
It was that kind of night for Paarl, there was little or no pressure for the bowlers halfway into the innings. Philander briefly thrilled with his big hits, but the result seemed a foregone conclusion.
