Joburg Super Kings climbed to joint top of the Betway SA20 standings alongside Sunrisers Eastern Cape after their clash against Paarl Royals at the Wanderers was abandoned due to inclement weather on Thursday evening. With persistent rain and lightning preventing play from resuming, both sides were forced to settle for two points apiece — a result that took Super Kings to 17 points, while Royals stayed third on 15.Earlier, under clear skies, Royals skipper David Miller won the toss and opted to bowl, a decision that appeared sensible on a surface offering early pace and bounce. However, Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis admitted he too would have chosen to bat first and made the most of the opportunity.
Du Plessis and his new opening partner James Vince provided JSK with a blistering start, building on their promising stand from the previous game. The pair put on 73 runs in just 7.3 overs, with du Plessis leading the charge despite not always middling the ball. The South African hacked his way to an entertaining 39 off 24 balls, peppering the boundary with six fours and a six, and giving teenage debutant Nqobani Mokoena a harsh initiation at the Bullring.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Vince, equally fluent, punished Bjorn Fortuin early as JSK surged to 64 without loss at the end of the Powerplay. The momentum was finally checked when Sikander Raza was introduced in the seventh over. The Zimbabwe captain struck immediately, producing a beautiful drifting off-spinner to bowl du Plessis through the gate.The wicket, however, did little to slow JSK down initially. Vince brought up his maiden Betway SA20 fifty off 33 balls, while Matthew de Villiers played a lively cameo of 30 from 22 deliveries as the second-wicket pair added 56. Just as Super Kings eyed a total in excess of 200, Raza (2/26) intervened again, dismissing de Villiers at long-off.From there, the innings lost momentum. A flurry of wickets — including Vince, Wiaan Mulder and Shubham Ranjane — combined with a brief floodlight failure stalled JSK’s charge, and Donovan Ferreira fell soon after play resumed. They eventually closed on a competitive 187/6.Royals would have fancied their chances of chasing the target, but lightning and rain had the final say, bringing a premature end to proceedings and leaving both teams to share the points.Brief Scores Joburg Super Kings: 187 for 6 (Vince 75; Raza 2/26)
