Sherfane Rutherford struck two sixes in the final over to rescue Pretoria Capitals from collapse and guide them to a historic 21-run victory over Paarl Royals at Boland Park on Saturday, successfully defending the lowest total ever recorded at the venue in SA20 history.
The Guyanese all-rounder’s nerveless 42 *(35), including three fours and three sixes, hauled the Capitals to 138-9 after a mid-innings implosion threatened to derail their innings entirely. The home side could muster only 117-6 in reply, with captain David Miller’s valiant 45 (36) proving insufficient.
Capitals skipper Keshav Maharaj elected to bat first on Boland Park’s characteristically sluggish surface but watched his side crumble to 74/6 in the 12th over. Part-time off-spinner Dan Lawrence triggered the collapse with a devastating first over that claimed both Shai Hope and Wihan Lubbe.
Tournament marquee signing Dewald Brevis, purchased for R16.5 million, extended his disappointing campaign with just 12 (15) balls. Sikander Raza’s slider squeezed between bat and pad to bowl the young South African, leaving the Capitals in dire straits at 74/6. Raza finished with excellent figures of 2-13 from four overs.
Rutherford then seized control, striking Hardus Viljoen for two crucial sixes in the final over to lift the Capitals to a defendable total. His composed innings transformed what appeared a below-par score into a winning one on a pitch where timing proved elusive.
The Royals’ chase began disastrously when Lungi Ngidi trapped Lhuan-dre Pretorius lbw with the second ball of the innings. Asa Tribe gloved a vicious Gideon Peters bouncer down the leg side before Dan Lawrence mistimed Wiaan Lubbe to cover, leaving the home side gasping at 38/3 after eight overs.
Maharaj orchestrated proceedings brilliantly, claiming 2-14 from four overs whilst maintaining a vice-like grip on the scoring rate. Peters’ exceptional spell complemented Chase’s economical work as the Capitals strangled the Royals throughout.
Miller attempted a rescue mission, striking four sixes to keep faint hopes alive. When Raza departed attempting an injudicious slog sweep against Maharaj in the 16th over, the equation had ballooned to 60 required from 30 balls. Miller struck two sixes off Ngidi in the following over, but Delano Potgieter’s laboured two from eight deliveries left too much for the skipper to accomplish.
The match witnessed unusual scenes when a fire erupted in a parking area beyond Boland Park during the fourth over of the chase. Emergency services swiftly extinguished the blaze by the seventh over with no damage reported.
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