Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

JE Root
JE Root
92(60) 11x4 - 2x6
Control %71%
  • Productive Shot
  • flick
  • 20 runs
  • 2x4 - 0x6
9 12 3 2 2 12 8 44
RA Herman
56(33) 5x4 - 3x6
Control %84%
  • Productive Shot
  • slog shot
  • 18 runs
  • 1x4 - 2x6
0 0 3 4 22 19 7 1

Best performances - Bowlers

Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
O4
M0
R28
W2
Eco7
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W
AD Galiem
O4
M0
R41
W2
Eco10.25
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF

Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar

5pm That will be all from us for this game. But don't go too far. The Joburg Super Kings are getting ready to lock horns with MI Cape Town, and you can follow all the action here. Until next time, this is goodbye from Chandan and myself. Take care!

Joe Root, Player of the Match: (On if he is enjoying his time in South Africa) I am. It is a great tournament, great to be a part and great to play some T20 cricket. Great to get across the line in a chase like that. Our middle order is full of experience. You have seen what Lhuan-dre can do at the top and we have experience throughout. When you have someone like him (Miller), with more than 500 games, that can only be a good thing (for the team). At this ground, you feel like you can chase anything. It was about not panicking. One of us was going to have a dip (in the powerplay) and get close to the run-rate.

David Miller, Paarl Royals captain: It takes the wind out of you when you concede 24 off the last over. We concentrated on playing good cricket shots and taking it deep. Anything is possible here and we proved it today. (On Hermann) Nice when it works out, very happy for the young man. He has shown a lot of interest off the field and great for him to come in and do so well first up. He (Root) is a solid performer. One of the best ever and I have formed a good relationship with him playing at Yorkshire. A calm head and steadies the ship really well. Nice to have him.

Rilee Rossouw, Pretoria Capitals captain: We knew it was going to be a decent wicket and credit has to go them. they batted so well and never gave us a chance. When there was a wicket, there was a partnership. Two experienced guys who know what to do and credit to the way they finished it. (On who he turns to for advice) Luckily, we have a lot of experience. Neesham, Jacks and Verreynne, who reads the game from behind the stumps. There are guys with cricket brains who I can always turn to. We were not probably up to our standard (in the field) and something we can look at and address. They played superbly well.

Our stats guy Namooh Shah tells me this is the second-highest aggregate in an SA20 fixture, only behind the 462 the Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town managed in 2024. The common thread? SuperSport Park.

4:42pm Wow. What a run-chase. At the half-way stage, it seemed the Royals had a mountain to climb. In fact, no team had ever scored these many to win a game of cricket in the SA20. Across 19.4 overs, though, the Royals smirked at that record and to be fair to them, they barely seemed to break into a sweat. Most of which was down to Root, who batted like a dream, with everything seemingly coming off the middle of his bat. Hermann, on debut, was just as impressive and carted the bowling to all parts, which laid the foundation for Miller to do what he does best.

The Capitals will feel they have let one go here. They had history on their side and they had plenty of runs on the board. But they just could not pick up wickets at the right junctures, especially after dismissing Lhuan-dre Pretorius off the first ball of the innings. Jacks was the only bowler to go at under nine runs per over, with Neesham, Muthusamy and van Vuuren, in particular, very expensive and lacking the sort of penetration that would have made the Royals feel the scoreboard pressure.

19.4
2
Neesham to Miller, 2 runs, catch is the cry and it goes down again! The Royals scamper back for two and they smash multiple records in the process! The highest-ever chase in the SA20, and the Royals have, at the cost of sounding cliche, made it look ridiculously easy! Back of a length outside off. Miller stands tall and launches it towards long off. Ackerman runs around to his right again, dives forward but cannot make it stick. Not sure if that carried or not, but either way, that gave the batters the time they needed to get back for two. Miller raises his arm in celebration as he completes the second and is joined in celebrations soon after by his partner. What an exceptional partnership, and what a run-chase!
19.3
1
Neesham to Root, 1 run, low full toss outside off. Root bunts it to mid off and hurtles across to the other end. Single made much easier by Rossouw fumbling

3 off 4. Would be fitting if Root hits the winning runs. Or is there a twist left in this tale? Around the wicket to Root too

19.2
1
Neesham to Miller, 1 run, very full on the pads. Miller gets bat on it and glances it towards short fine leg, who gets something behind it and keeps it to a single
19.1
4
Neesham to Miller, FOUR, Miller delivers and smashes the first ball for four! Cutter on a back of a length outside off. Miller picks it early, sets himself up and smears it through mid wicket!

Everyone in the ring is behind square (on both sides of the wicket)

So, it has come down to the last over. Just eight needed. Neesham to bowl. Miller on strike. Around the wicket. Proper box-office ending.

END OF OVER:
19 | 9 Runs | PR: 205/2 (8 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 10.78, RRR: 8.00)

  • Joe Root91 (59b)
  • David Miller41 (21b)
  • Tiaan van Vuuren4-0-51-0
  • Migael Pretorius3-0-29-0
18.6
0
van Vuuren to Root, no run, slower ball on a full length outside off. Root gives it all he has but chalks it terribly, right back at the bowler. Third dot of the over
18.5
4
van Vuuren to Root, FOUR, gets this away, and Root finds the fence just when his side wanted him too! Attempted wide yorker that van Vuuren misses on the shorter side by a smidgen. Root opens his bat face and steers it fine past short third!

SA20 News

Royals 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st0JE RootLG Pretorius
2nd125JE RootRA Herman
3rd88JE RootDA Miller