GQEBERHA: Captain David Miller’s superb half-century guided Paarl Royals to their first win in the SA20 as they beat leaders Sunrisers Eastern Cape by five wickets at St George’s Park here on Wednesday.
The home side, high on confidence after registering bonus-point wins in their first two matches, won the toss and elected to bat first against the Royals, who had a massive 137-run victory in their campaign opener.
However, the result backfired as the Eastern Cape’s batting unit managed to score 149 runs in 20 overs.
Middle-order batsman Jordan Herman top-scored with a blistering 47 off 35 balls with 4 fours and a six, while Jonny Bairstow smashed 33 off 20 balls.
Apart from them, none of the Eastern Cape’s batsmen could make a significant contribution, even their last five failed to double it.
Nqobani Mokoena led the Royals’ bowling charge with four wickets and Ottneil Baartman grabbed three wickets while Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Delano Potgieter claimed one wicket each.
Chasing a target of 150, Royals managed to make the tough yards as they hit the winning runs with 5 wickets and 2 balls to spare despite Miller’s blitz.
The visitors got off to a poor start to the chase as Marco Johnson and Unrich Nordje broke their top-order and were reduced to 30/3 in 6.2 overs.
Following the collapse, Miller walked out to bat at No.4 and soon lost Rubin Herman (nine) in the same over as Royals slumped further to 35/4 in seven overs.
The skipper then combined with Keegan Lyon-Cachet to turn the game on its head with a belligerent strike, while ensuring that one end remained firmly in place until Lewis Gregory’s sacrifice in the last over.
Gregory made a costly error after dismissing the set batter as he bowled wide down the leg side to Delano Potgieter facing his first delivery.
Meanwhile, Miller remained unbeaten and scored 71 off 38 balls with 5 fours and 4 sixes for the Royals.
For his sensational performance under pressure, Miller was adjudged man of the match.
For the Eastern Cape, Johnson and Nordje took 2 wickets each, while Gregory took one wicket.
The five-wicket win, which marked Royals’ first win, lifted them to fourth in the SA20 2025 table with four points, while Sunrisers remained at the top of the Eastern Cape with 10 points from three games.