Pretoria Capitals Celebrate New Year with Dominant Victory in SA20

Capitals Secure First Win of SA20 Season 4

Cape Town [South Africa], January 1: The Pretoria Capitals kicked off their SA20 Season 4 campaign on a high note, celebrating New Year's Eve with a resounding victory over MI Cape Town by 85 runs at Newlands, as reported by a local media outlet.

The Capitals posted an impressive total of 220/5, with Sherfane Rutherford shining brightly. The West Indies allrounder not only scored an explosive 47 runs off just 15 balls but also showcased his bowling skills, taking 4 wickets for 24 runs, leading to MI Cape Town's collapse at 135 runs.

Rutherford teamed up with Dewald Brevis, who contributed 36 runs off 13 balls, to form a remarkable partnership of 86 runs in just 27 balls, turning the game around after a shaky start where Kagiso Rabada had reduced MI Cape Town to 36/3.

The final five overs saw a flurry of runs, with the duo scoring 92 runs for the loss of only one wicket at a staggering run rate of 18.2. Rutherford's explosive batting included four consecutive sixes in one over, thrilling the crowd.

Earlier, Shai Hope and Wihan Lubbe had set the stage with solid contributions of 45 and 60 runs, respectively, before Rutherford's fireworks sealed the deal.

In the chase, MI Cape Town's openers Ryan Rickleton and Rassie van der Dussen provided a promising start with a 60-run partnership, but their quick dismissals derailed the innings. Nicholas Pooran attempted to revive the chase with a quickfire 25, hitting four sixes, but Keshav Maharaj's bowling proved too much, as he took three crucial wickets.

Paarl Royals also celebrated a successful day, with captain David Miller leading his team to victory with an unbeaten 71 runs off 38 balls.