MI Cape Town booked their first-ever appearance in a SA20 final with a commanding 39-run victory over the Paarl Royals in Qualifier 1 at St George’s Park. Robin Peterson’s side outclassed the Royals in all departments after being put in to bat by opposition captain David Miller.
With the win, MI Cape Town now move directly to Saturday’s final at the Wanderers, while Paarl Royals will get another chance in Qualifier 2 on Thursday in Centurion.
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Pacer Kagiso Rabada, instrumental in MI Cape Town’s success, expressed his delight at sealing a direct route to the final. “Yeah, I mean, it would have been first prize not to play another game heading into the final. So we’re glad that we ticked that off. We’re not taking anything for granted,” Rabada said.
He praised the team’s batting effort and the collective readiness of the squad. “Great start by Ryan and Reeza and then well followed by our lower order and middle order. Actually not even low or the middle order. So, yeah, everyone’s ready to play and that’s what we saw today, especially with the ball. I thought under pressure we responded well. We’ve been doing that all tournament, so hopefully we do that in the final.”
Reflecting on MI Cape Town’s strong season, Rabada credited the team’s chemistry and the leadership group. “Yeah, we’ve always had the players, but now I think we got together and the senior group had a lot to do with it in terms of pulling everyone together. And there’s also a familiarity between the players. As you can see, the South African players are backing each other.”
He also highlighted the impact of local talent stepping up. “We’ve been playing two overseas in quite a few games. So you can see the local players are stepping up, and everyone who’s on the bench as well is looking to make an impact.”
Rabada also touched on the significance of playing at St George’s Park, stating, “This is a completely new tournament. There’s so much cricket playing these days, you almost have to park everything that has happened before. But coming back to this field always brings a lot of memories. Played here a lot of times, you know, the fans here, I would say, know really, really good. So it’s nice to come here and play here. Even though their home team wasn’t playing, people still came out to support.”
Meanwhile, Paarl Royals’ Dayyaan Galiem admitted his team fell short in key moments. “I think it starts off with our bowling. I think we were a touch flat coming into the game. Probably a bit of nerves, you know. So I think we could have been a bit better to start and perhaps that last two overs as well traveled a little bit.” However, he remained optimistic about their second chance. “Luckily, we have another opportunity because we’ve played such good cricket over the past month.”
Galiem also discussed the impact of playing conditions, the absence of Joe Root, and his own bowling challenges. “Obviously, Joe Root is a huge player for us. The numbers speak for itself. But we have a good replacement in Mitch. He’s an amazing player, and we know he’s got that about him. So it’s only a matter of time.” Looking ahead to the next game, he added, “Pretoria is a special place to me. A few of us know the conditions. One of our coaching staff is actually the head coach of the Titans. We’ll definitely come together, see what we can find about night games, and try to favor our decisions accordingly.”
With MI Cape Town sealing their final spot, all eyes will now be on Paarl Royals’ next match, where they will fight for a second chance to reach the title clash.