Cricket
MICT claim second win, Capitals climb to third─── MORGAN PIEK 08:55 Sun, 11 Jan 2026
There were smiles for the Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town in the SA20 on Saturday, as the men from the capital climbed up to third on the log.
While the defending champions finally found some much-needed momentum with just their second win of the campaign. Over at Boland Park in Paarl, the Pretoria Capitals showed plenty of guts and determination to grind out a hard-fought 21-run victory over the Paarl Royals.
David Miller. Photo: Cricinfo
Batting first on a tricky surface, the Capitals had to dig deep to post 138/9 in their allotted 20 overs. West Indian powerhouse Sherfane Rutherford led the charge with a composed 42 off 35 balls, striking three fours and three sixes.
Fellow Caribbean star Shai Hope chipped in with a patient 22 off 21, while Connor Esterhuizen, Dewald Brevis and skipper Keshav Maharaj each contributed 12 in a collective effort.
The bowlers then rose to the occasion. Zimbabwean international Sikandar Raza continued his impressive all-round form, finishing with excellent figures of 2/13 in his four overs.
Hardus Viljoen and Dan Lawrence also played their part, picking up two wickets apiece to keep the Royals under constant pressure.
Ryan Rickelton. Photo: Cricinfo
In reply, Paarl skipper David Miller fought a lone battle, top-scoring with 45 off 36 balls, which included four towering sixes. Rubin Hermann added some resistance with 35 off 37, but the Royals never quite got going and were eventually restricted to 117/6.
Maharaj led from the front with the ball, claiming 2/15 in his four overs, while seamers Gideon Peters with 1/11 in three, and Lizaad Williams with 1/21 in three, were outstanding in the death overs to close out a disciplined Capitals performance.
Meanwhile, at a buzzing Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, MI Cape Town produced a statement performance, thumping the Joburg Super Kings by 36 runs.
Batting first, MICT piled on a massive 234/3, thanks largely to a breathtaking unbeaten 113 off 60 balls from Proteas opener Ryan Rickelton. The left-hander was in sublime touch, smashing nine sixes and eight fours on his way to his second century of the campaign.
With Rickelton now responsible for two of the tournament’s three hundreds, questions will inevitably be asked about his absence from the Proteas squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Rassie van der Dussen provided the perfect foil, blasting 65 off just 32 balls, while Karim Janat added a handy 20. Daniel Worrall was the standout for the Super Kings with figures of 2/37, and Donovan Ferreira claimed 1/31.
In reply, the Super Kings showed plenty of fight. Former Knights all-rounder Donovan Ferreira starred with a sensational 80 off 42 balls, striking five sixes and four fours, while England’s James Vince played a classy knock of 77 off 43. Despite their efforts, JSK were kept in check and closed on 198/5.
George Linde with 2/30, and Kagiso Rabada with 2/34, were key with the ball as MI Cape Town finally enjoyed a convincing all-round performance.
The SA20 action continues on Sunday in Gqeberha, where log leaders and two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape take on the struggling Durban Super Giants. Play at St George’s Park is scheduled to get under way at 15:30.
