Sherfane Rutherford ended up an unlikely hero for the Pretoria Capitals in his side’s surprising 21-run victory over the Paarl Royals in the SA20 here on Saturday.
With his side struggling on 74 for six, Rutherford rescued his side with an unbeaten knock of 42 off 35 balls, including three sixes and three fours, to get them up to 138 for nine in their 20 overs after electing to bat first at Boland Park. Rutherford, who was named Player-of-the-Match, shared a crucial 31-run partnership with captain Keshav Maharaj for the seventh wicket that carried the Capitals past three figures.
Shai Hope was the next highest scorer with 22 off 21 balls, while Roston Chase made nine off six balls.
Sikandar Raza, Dan Lawrence and Hardus Viljoen took two wickets apiece for the Royals.
Faced with a seemingly straightforward run chase, the Royals were stifled by a remarkable bowling effort and could only muster 117 for six.
Captain David Miller topscored with 45 off 36 balls and Rubin Hermann made 35 off 37 balls, but they were let down by the other batters with only Asa Tribe, who made 14, scoring more than 10.