Cape Town: The eighth match of the ongoing SA20 season featured a high-scoring contest between Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town on December 31. The match showcased explosive batting from Dewald Brevis and Sherfane Rutherford, who propelled their team to a total of 220 runs with aggressive hitting in the death overs.
The duo combined for 72 runs in the final three overs, including the remarkable feat of hitting six consecutive sixes, although these were achieved across two overs. Brevis initiated the assault by attacking Corbin Bosch’s last two deliveries of the 18th over.
In the subsequent over, Rutherford demonstrated his power by hitting Dwaine Pretorius for four consecutive sixes off the first four balls. The explosive batting turned the momentum of the match, which had previously been evenly contested, with the Capitals at 148 runs after 17 overs. Brevis ended his innings unbeaten with 36 runs off just 13 balls, including four sixes, while Rutherford finished with 47 runs at a striking rate of 313.33.
With this performance, Pretoria Capitals secured their first victory of the season after two losses. They successfully restricted MI Cape Town to 135 runs in just 14.2 overs. Rutherford also contributed significantly with the ball, taking four wickets in three overs. Captain Keshav Maharaj supported him with three wickets, playing a crucial role in the team’s emphatic win.
Following the match, Rutherford received the Player of the Match award and shared insights on the team’s batting strategy with Brevis. “I think we play together, we have a good relationship. The conversation was just to keep reacting. They’re going to try and manipulate us with the field, but we decided that wherever the ball is, we should hit it; it’s going to travel. We aimed to keep our shape, and it went well for us,” he stated.
