Paarl Royals made history in the SA20 by becoming the first T20 team to use just spin bowlers for a complete 20-over innings. In their SA20 match against the Pretoria Capitals, the Royals accomplished this historic achievement by successfully defending a total of 141 and winning by 11 runs to guarantee their postseason berth.
The five members of the Royals' spin arsenal—Bjorn Fortuin, Dunith Wellalage, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Nqabayomzi Peter, and England Test great Joe Root—worked together to produce the team's exceptional record. For the first time in franchise T20 cricket and T20 internationals involving full-member teams, the spinners as a group delivered all 120 balls.
At Boland Park on Saturday afternoon, Root led the Paarl Royals into the SA20 playoffs with a spectacular 78-run innings and two wickets. After defeating the Pretoria Capitals by 11 runs, the Royals became the first team in Season 3 to advance to the next round of the competition. The Royals top the log with 24 points.
In the blazing midday sun, Root utilized his experience to manoeuvre across a slow Boland Park surface. In addition to driving brilliantly down the ground, the former English captain demonstrated his capacity to improvise with a magnificent switch hit off Will Jacks. He was the quintessential orthodoxy.
Before skipper David Miller strode to the crease, the rest of the Royals' batting order withered in the Paarl sun. With an undefeated 29 off 18 balls, including two powerful slog-sweeps for six, Miller gave the innings a boost right away. The Royals reached 140/4 thanks to a 33-ball, continuous 59-run partnership.
"The most important thing is to read the surface and figure out the score you need. Today was a case of being brave enough to take it deeper and you might have a better match-up down the line. Thought we did that pretty well," Root said.
The Royals' five-man spin attack, which included Bjorn Fortuin, Dunith Wellalage, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Nqaba Peter, and Root, spun their web and stopped the Capitals' run-chase.