In the SA20 league match on January 17, Paarl Royals defeated Johannesburg Super Kings by 7 wickets, courtsey to Jos Buttler‘s unbeaten 70 and Lungi Ngidi’s 3/17, which also helped them secure a bonus point. Jos Buttler was in a beast mode as all the variations were proving to be ineffective against him.
After four games, the Super Kings are still without a win, while the Royals have won three straight to preserve their unbeaten streak. It won’t be wrong to say that JSK will have to pull up their socks and perhaps play fearless brand of cricket rather than getting into the shell.
Pitch Report and Toss Update
In the first inning, the pitch was somewhat slower; nevertheless, in the second inning, it somewhat assisted the batters. Unlike in previous matches at Boland Park, where the spinners dominated, the surface at Boland Park has had decent offerings for seamers.
The skipper of the Johannesburg Super Kings, Faf du Plessis, won the toss and decided to bat first.
Leus du Plooy stood tall to get JSK to a respectable total
The Super Kings, who chose to bat first, lost three wickets in the powerplay and were soon damaged on a pitch that benefited the bowlers. To give the Royals a strong start, Lungi Ngidi picked two, including the wicket of Faf du Plessis.
Leus du Plooy‘s individual effort, which saw him capitalize on an early missed opportunity by Jason Roy when he was on an individual score of 4 runs, He accepted the opportunity with both hands and ended up scoring 71 of the 134 runs the Super Kings barely managed to muster, which proved to be the catalyst for the team’s comeback.
A late comeback attempted by du Plooy and Moeen Ali (18) by stitching up a partnership of 39 runs was thwarted as the Royals continued to strike at regular intervals to bundle the innings of JSK at a meager 134 runs.
Lungi Ngidi shines to restrict the JSK to a manageable total
Obed McCoy (2/31) got the Royals going by getting rid of Reeza Hendricks, and in the last over of the Power Play, the formidable Ngidi entered into the game. The top wicket-taker in the league, Lungi Ngidi, held the Super Kings at bay with two wicket-insuccessful balls.
First, he clean bowled Faf du Plessis (9), and then Mitchell van Buuren caught debutant Wayne Madsen for a first-ball duck. Moeen Ali saved the next ball, preventing Ngidi (3/17) from claiming the first hat-trick of the competition. However, Ngidi came back at the very end to take his third wicket of the night.
In addition, the Super Kings were run out three times, with leading scorer Leus du Plooy (71 off 43 balls) being dismissed for 134. Jos Buttler, the wicketkeeper for the Royals, was crucial to the run-outs because he twice removed the stumps while the Super Kings were attempting to steal a single.
Jos Buttler’s masterclass continues Paarl Royals invincible run
Even though Jason Roy went down early in the chase, Jos Buttler took the lead. As batting got comparatively easier under the lights, Jos Buttler and Wihan Lubbe 39(30) put on an 87-run stand off 50 balls for the second wicket, until experienced leg-spinner Imran Tahir trapped Lubbe for LBW.
Before the weekend’s derbies against MI Cape Town, the England captain, who finished first in the tournament in terms of runs scored, appeared in promising form. During his 37-ball, 70-runs innings, Jos Buttler smashed eight fours and three sixes, condemning the Super Kings to their third defeat in four games.
Paarl Royals lost two wickets in short succession, but the damage had already been done by the number of runs scored. Because Jos Buttler assisted his team to finish the run-chase in just 16 overs, the hosts are also entitled to take away one more bonus point from the match. However, the Joburg Super Kings suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in this competition. This evening, they performed poorly both with the bat and the ball.