The Paarl Rocks were crowned the 2019 Mzansi Super League champions after beating the Tshwane Spartans by eight wickets in Monday’s final at Boland Park.

Pursuing a target of 148, the Rocks romped to 148 for two with 34 deliveries to spare. Opener Henry Davids struck a brisk 77 not out from 44 – and was complemented by all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius’ 43 from 21.

The performance capped a celebratory Monday for Pretorius, who returned to the XI after recovering from a wrist injury – and was named in the squad for the first half of the Proteas’ Test series against England.

Also see: MSL Team of the Tournament

The hard-hitting Pretorius would have been out for zero, had fielder Corbin Bosch not dropped a relatively straighforward catch. Bosch eventually caught Pretorius, but by then the damage was done.

Earlier, the Spartans were limited to a final total of 147/6. Sri Lanka seamer Isuru Udana and wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi shared four key wickets to combat the threat posed during former Proteas captain AB de Villiers’ quickfire 51.

This is the Rocks’ maiden MSL title. The Jozi Stars won the inaugural MSL title last year, but didn’t win one match this season.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Giants finished in third position after losing to the Spartans in the qualifier earlier this week. Like the Stars, the Cape Town Blitz and Durban Heat failed to qualify for the play-off stage of the tournament.

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