Wihan Lubbe’s half-century and Evan Jones’ four-for helped Paarl Royals to a 10-run victory against Durban’s Super Giants in Paarl.
After losing English World Cup winner Jason Roy early on, Wihan Lubbe came out in the scoring heat with a task on his hand.
With his side needing a boost of runs he measured his innings well, first with Jos Buttler (35), in a 53-run stand, and then he accumulated 23 runs and 42 with Dane Vilas and David Miller respectively.
Lubbe hit three sixes as five fours for his 57, which took his side to 131-4 inside 16 overs. This was the 30-year-old’s first milestone of the tournament and it came at a crucial time in front of the Paarl faithful.
A cameo from David Miller (28 off 19) and two boundaries from Evan Jones and Ferisco Adams took the Royals to a decent total of 169/6.
Bjorn Fortuin once again put in a spinning masterclass. He dismissed Kyle Mayers, Quinton de Kock and Dwaine Pretorius, which put the Durban-based side three down for 29 runs in 4.3 overs. Shamsi put the Super Giants 4 down, with the Royals in full control of the contest.
Evan Jones was exceptional taking 4 wickets which saw DSG reduced to 135-8.
Heinrich Klaasen’s performance took DSG close, with a scintillating 38-ball 58, but it was in vain as the Royals clinched their second win.