SA20: Sikandar Raza helps Paarl Royals clinch dramatic last-ball record win against Durban's Super Giants

Sikandar Raza and Rubin Hermann celebrate after Paarl Royals edged Durban's Super Giants in a thrilling contest. (Image: Sportzpics)

Paarl: Sikandar Raza etched himself further into Paarl Royals folklore on Tuesday night, holding his nerve to strike a six off the final ball and seal a dramatic six-wicket win over Durban’s Super Giants at Boland Park in the fourth season of the SA20. The Royals needed six runs from the last over bowled by David Wiese, and when the equation came down to two off the final delivery, Raza kept his composure to send the home crowd into raptures.

Sikandar Raza press conference: Zimbabwe all-rounder opens up about tragic loss of his brother

The finish also completed the highest successful run chase at Boland Park, after the Super Giants had earlier put up a challenging 186 for 5. Raza remained unbeaten on 27 from 13 balls, an innings that included two fours and two sixes, but the chase had been built on significant contributions from others. Rubin Hermann anchored the innings with a composed 65 not out from 45 deliveries, while Dan Lawrence struck a fluent 63 off 41 balls, with both batters registering half-centuries to keep the Royals in the contest.READ | At 39, Sikander Raza is still breaking ground - for himself and Zimbabwe The turning point came through the third-wicket stand between Hermann and Lawrence. The pair added a crucial 106 runs in just 61 balls, shifting momentum firmly in the Royals’ favour. Lawrence, in particular, took the attack to the Super Giants’ spin options, launching Simon Harmer for six and then collecting a boundary and another maximum off Liam Livingstone to keep the scoring rate moving. That onslaught stood in contrast to the disciplined effort earlier from Royals’ mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman , who finished with tidy figures of 2 for 22 despite the Super Giants’ power-packed batting line-up. Hermann’s knock earned him the Player of the Match award, edging out fellow nominees Dan Lawrence, Liam Livingstone and Aiden Markram after claiming 45 per cent of the fan vote. Earlier in the evening, Super Giants captain Aiden Markram led from the front with a well-constructed 66 off 46 balls, striking two fours and three sixes. He was ably supported at the death by Liam Livingstone, who blasted an unbeaten 32 from just 10 deliveries, and Heinrich Klaasen , who added 29 off 18 balls, as the visitors finished strongly. In the end, however, their total fell just short. The Royals’ win lifted them to second place on the table with 19 points, edging Sunrisers into third on the back of a superior number of victories. The Super Giants remain fifth on 14 points and now face a must-win final league fixture against the Royals at Kingsmead on Saturday.Brief scores: Paarl Royals 191/4 (20 overs) beat Durban Super Giants 186/5 (20 overs).

End of Article

Click here to read article