• Verreynne century in vain for Capitals

    Published on

    Kyle Verreynne’s 116* wasn’t enough to prevent the Pretoria Capitals from falling to a 34-run defeat to MI Cape Town in Centurion on Thursday.

    Verreynne enthralled the crowd with a 52-ball innings that included seven fours and nine sixes to better Joburg Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis’s 113* from last season’s SA20.

    He single-handedly prevented MI Cape Town from claiming the bonus point on offer after the Capitals were reduced to 42-6 in their pursuit of the visitors’ mammoth 248-4.

    Centurion certainly was a graveyard for the bowlers on the night with a new SA20 record match aggregate of 32 sixes struck.

    The tournament’s leading run-scorer Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen (21 off nine balls) set the tone for the evening with a rapid 64-run opening stand for MI Cape Town in only five overs.

    The MICT opening pair rediscovered their touch after going quiet in recent matches after a blitzkrieg start to the competition.

    Rickelton was certainly back to his best with the left-hander striking the ball sweetly again as he plundered 90 off just 45 balls (10 fours, five sixes). It was Rickelton’s third score in the 90s this season along with an 87.

    Dewald Brevis also came to the party with 67* off only 32 balls (three fours, six sixes) before Kieron Pollard (27* off seven) and Sam Curran (22* off 12) delivered the finishing touch.

    Capitals seamer Daryn Dupavillon suffered the misfortune of conceding the worst figures in SA20 history of 1-73.

    HIGHLIGHTS: Pretoria Capitals vs MI Cape Town (SA20)

    MI Cape Town’s seamers Kagiso Rabada (2-32) and Nuwan Thushara (3-37) then showed their class by adapting to the batting friendly conditions before Verreynne took control with a spellbinding innings to get the Capitals up to 214-8.

    The two sides will meet again at Newlands on Saturday with MI Cape Town (13 points) and Pretoria Capitals (10) both hoping for a Joburg Super Kings (13) defeat to log-leaders Durban’s Super Giants in order to give one of them an opportunity of clinching the final playoff spot on offer.

    Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics

    Post by

    Simon Borchardt