Last Updated: January 11, 2023, 07:25 AM IST
MI Cape Town’s Dewald Brevis and Jofra Archer
Chasing 143, after winning the toss and bowling first, the Rashid Khan-led side, MI Cape Town overhauled the target in 15.3 overs and sent a strong statement with their clinical show in SA20
MI Cape Town had a terrific start to their campaign in SA20 as they registered an emphatic 8-wicket win over Paarl Royals at The Newlands Cricket Ground and picked up the bonus point in the tournament opener.
Chasing 143, after winning the toss and bowling first, the Rashid Khan-led side overhauled the target in 15.3 overs and sent a strong statement with their clinical show.
The bowlers were clinical with Olly Stone (2/31) and Duan Jansen (1/16) picking up crucial wickets.
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Playing his first competitive game after a gap of 18 months, MI Cape Town pacer Jofra Archer announced his arrival on the big stage with his figures of 3/27.
Chasing 143, Young Dewald Brevis smashed an unbeaten 70 off just 41 balls and guided his team home in front of a packed Newlands. The youngster hit five sixes and four fours in his entertaining knock.
Brevis, Along with opener Ryan Rickleton (42 off 32) who scored at a brisk rate, laid the foundation for a big win for MI Cape Town with their stand of 90 for the first wicket.
Brevis notched up his fifty off 32 balls and MI Cape Town finished the game inside 16 overs and bagged the bonus point. Brevis remained unbeaten and was voted the player of the match by the fans.
Speaking over his knock at the post-match presentation, the South Africa U19 star said, “I want to thank the crowd for their great support. I really enjoyed batting every single ball. I want to thank god as well. Absolutely grateful for this opportunity to play in front of my home crowd.”
He even thanked South Africa’s batting great AB de Villiers for playing a crucial role in his development as a cricketer and said, “He (de Villiers) has played a key role in my development as a player. He helped me through a lot and gives me the right advice.”
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Reacting over his team’s winning start in the tournament, Rickleton said the team is happy to start proceedings with a win but they’ll look to improve on certain areas in the coming games.
“Nice to hit the ground running especially at home. We got favorable conditions, especially with the ball in hand and with the bat as well. It was a power-packed team from Paarl (Royals). Obviously nice to have things go away. There are a few areas we need to improve on and things are going to be tweaked going forward, and looking forward to seeing how the ball rolls on from here,” Rickleton said at the post-match press conference.
Earlier in the day, a half-century from Jos Buttler and a quick-fire 42 from skipper David Miller helped Paarl Royals post 142 for 7 after Rashid invited them to bat first.
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