Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
SIKANDAR Raza waited until the very last ball on Tuesday night, then turned Newlands into his stage.
Two runs were needed.
He swung once, clean and flat, and the ball disappeared into the stands as Paarl Royals sealed a six wicket win over Durban Super Giants in the SA20.
Raza finished unbeaten on 27 and walked off having scored the winning runs, again. Paarl reached 191 for four with a ball to spare, completing the chase after Durban had posted 186 for five.
The result lifted Paarl Royals to second on the standings at the time, their fourth win in seven matches, taking them to 19 points and keeping them firmly in the title conversation.
Raza came in at number six with the game still open. Paarl were 145 for four in the 16th over, moments after losing captain David Miller. Thirteen balls later it was done. Raza struck two fours and two sixes, scoring at more than 200, and made sure the chase did not drift.
Earlier, Paarl’s work was set up by Dan Lawrence and Rubin Hermann. Lawrence made 63 off 41 balls, mixing placement with power before falling just as the finish line came into view. Hermann stayed to the end with 65 not out from 45 deliveries, holding the innings together while wickets fell around him.
Durban Super Giants had given themselves a fighting total after being sent in. Captain Aiden Markram led from the front with 66 off 46 balls, anchoring the innings. Liam Livingstone added late damage with an unbeaten 32 off just 10 balls, pushing the score beyond 180.
Raza’s contribution with the ball was quieter but still controlled. Bowling three overs, he conceded 29 runs and went wicketless for the first time in the tournament. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nqobani Mokoena took two wickets each, while Bjorn Fortuin claimed one to keep Durban from running away.
Eathan Bosch was Durban’s most effective bowler with figures of two for 29. Sunil Narine and David Wiese picked up one wicket apiece, but neither could stop the late surge.
For Raza, the night added another chapter to a debut SA20 campaign that continues to bend games in Paarl’s favour. When the Royals needed calm heads and a decisive hit, they looked to him, again.
There is little pause. Paarl Royals are back on the field this evening against Pretoria Capitals in Centurion, with Raza at the centre of their plans and the tournament beginning to tilt around moments he keeps owning.
