MI Cape Town, skippered by Rashid Khan, secured a 13-run victory over Paarl Royals in the SA20 tournament on Saturday. After being invited to bat first, MI Cape Town had a slow start but strong performances from Grant Roelofsen, Rassie van der Dussen, and a cameo from George Linde in the middle overs helped the team to defend a strong total.
MI Cape Town bowlers put in a sensational effort, restricting Paarl Royals to 129/6. It was the first win for the team while defending a target and will give a lot of confidence to the team going forward. In his post-match presentation, Captain Rashid praised the character shown by his teammates, saying it was a brilliant all-round effort, and that players like Rassie and George would be crucial for the team's success going forward.
In the match, MI Cape Town struggled initially while batting, but strong performances from Grant Roelofsen (34) and Rassie van der Dussen (49) helped the team to recover and post a strong total. George Linde also contributed with a quick-fire 24 off 14 deliveries in the middle overs.
With the ball, MI Cape Town put on an impressive display, with in-form George Linde (2/23) and Kagiso Rabada (2/27) putting the Paarl Royals on the back foot early on. Jofra Archer (1/31) and Captain Rashid (1/16) also returned with strong figures, helping to restrict the opposition to 129/6.
It was the first win for the team while defending a target and will give a lot of confidence to the team going forward. Captain Rashid praised the character shown by his teammates, saying it was a brilliant all-round effort. He also hailed the performance of Rassie, who he said would be crucial for the team's success going forward. He also praised Linde, who has been performing consistently from the start and said that all-rounders like him make the captain's job easy. He also said that this win will boost the team's confidence, and give the bowlers the belief to defend any total.