The Paarl Royals may have lost to the Pretoria Capitals by 59 runs in the final round-robin match of the SA20, but they did just enough to advance to the semi-finals.
After the Capitals scored a mammoth 226/5 in their allotted 20 overs, the Royals were playing a game within a game.
Kusal Mendis, a Sri Lankan international, was the Capitals' mainstay, scoring 80 points off 41 balls. Colin Ingram (41) and Phil Salt (39) also contributed significantly.
The Paarl-based team's secondary goal was to outperform Durban's Super Giants for the final semi-final spot.
When the Royals were reduced to 38/3 in the Powerplay and then 101/5 in the 14th over, captain David Miller walked back to the pavilion, seemingly carrying his team's hopes of progress with him.
The Royals, on the other hand, still had Jos Buttler at the crease, and England's limited-overs captain delivered a superb 70 off 45 balls (4x4, 5x6) to put his team on the verge of qualifying.
When Buttler left, ten runs were still needed off eight balls, and it was up to Bjorn Fortuin to get the Royals into the semi-finals with an important eight runs off eight deliveries.
Meanwhile, the table-topping Capitals will be relieved to have returned to winning ways after their hiccup against the Super Giants, with a rematch against the Royals in the first semi-final at the Wanderers on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the second SA20 semi-final will pit Joburg Super Kings against third-placed Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Centurion.