Paarl Royals captain David Miller was delighted after they won against Sunrisers Eastern Cape by five wickets at St. George’s Park, Gqeberha on Tuesday. Miller feels they bowled really well and were able to put the opposition under pressure.
The Royals restricted SEC at 130-7 after Aiden Markram won the toss and decided to bat first. SEC lost both of their openers cheaply in the PowerPlay overs. JJ Smuts scored a fine knock of 65 runs from 49 balls but the rest of the batters failed to contribute to the score.
All of the Royals’ bowlers conceded less than 30 runs in their quota of four overs. Andile Phehlukwayo and Evan Jones scalped two wickets each in their respective spells to put the opposition under pressure.
On the other hand, Jos Buttler scored 51 runs at the top of the order to give a perfect start to his team in the run-chase of 131 runs. Furthermore, skipper David Miller led from the front as he added the finishing touches with 23-ball 37 to help his team win by five wickets.
David Miller said in the post-match presentation, “It was a little bit challenging. I tried to sum up the wind. It was a lot easier trying to hit in the direction of the spin. Little bit slow. We bowled really well and put them under pressure. They bowled well in the middle overs. Good win for us, great performance from the boys. To have a world-class player like him (Buttler), he’s played all around the world, he’s being the rock upfront. He batted fantastically again. This competition is wide open. It’s tough with really good teams. The fans have been outstanding, it’s a great tournament, long may it last.”
On the other hand, Sunrisers Eastern Cape skipper Aiden Markram was proud of the way his players showed fight but he admitted that they were a few runs short of a par score.
Markram said after the loss, “Happy with how the boys showed fight. We were a few runs short. Good game at the end of the day. The guys must enjoy some time off now, it’s been a busy tournament. It’s about regrouping a couple of days before our next game. The crowd here has been awesome. They have backed us a lot, almost like our 12th player. It’s great for the local players to get exposure. Rubbing shoulders with legends bodes well for them.”
Paarl Royals will be next up against Joburg Super Kings at the Wanderers, Johannesburg on 3rd February.
