6.48pm So, Paarl Rocks prevail in the Cape derby. Cape Town Blitz won all of their games leading up to this one, while Paarl were still searching for their first win. No doubt invigorated by the return of their Protea players, Paarl's bowling attack did very well to keep Cape Town to just 140, with left-arm spinner Fortuin starring with four wickets and Dane Paterson picking up 3 for 23. Dale Steyn dented their chase early, but Faf du Plessis marshalled his middle order, adding 67 with van Jaarsveld and 38 with Mosehle to guide the chase. Cape Town just didn't have enough on the board, and Paarl sealed their win in front of a packed home crowd.
"It's a good feeling to get a first win under the belt," says Player of the Match Bjorn Fortuin. "I felt like we owed it to the fans, to the management, and also to ourselves. As a team we need to continue this momentum and build on this. From a personal point of view, I'm just trying to put in the best performances I can."
"It was good to be playing here, a great crowd at the stadium today," says Paarl Rocks captain Faf du Plessis. "We just tried a few different things. [Mzansi Super League] is brilliant for cricket in South Africa. This is going to fast track the domestic players so much. The exposure they're getting is awesome. And from a fan point of view, for the first time all our national players are playing domestic cricket together. T20 cricket is about momentum, and it was really important for us to turn the momentum around."
"The Paarl Rocks team were well prepared," says Cape Town Blitz captain Farhaan Behardien. "We never adapted quickly enough from being on the highveld last night to coming to a slow coastal wicket today. It's not a bad thing to taste defeat this early in the tournament, it gives some perspective. We don't have much turnaround time."
That's all from your commentary team tonight. Goodbye from me, Liam Brickhill, and my colleague Hemant Brar. Look out for Hemant's match report for any details you might have missed from this afternoon's game.
Jay Deshpande: "Watching from USA. Hey guys, did you see that USA was recently promoted to Division 2? We in the USA always appreciate all support to promote cricket in our country"
END OF OVER:18 | 11 Runs 1 Wkt | PR: 136/5 (5 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 7.55, RRR: 2.50)
- Mangaliso Mosehle26 (24b)
- Bjorn Fortuin0 (0b)
- Malusi Siboto3-0-30-1
- Andile Phehlukwayo2-0-18-0
F du Plessis c Malan b Siboto 54 (77m 39b 6x4 0x6) SR: 138.46
Three overs to go, and you've got to think Paarl Rocks have got this one in the bag. Cape Town Blitz' unbeaten run is very almost over
END OF OVER:17 | 7 Runs | PR: 125/4 (16 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 7.35, RRR: 5.33)
- Mangaliso Mosehle21 (22b)
- Faf du Plessis48 (35b)
- Andile Phehlukwayo2-0-18-0
- Ferisco Adams3-0-19-0
