Brilliant Brevis leads MI Cape Town to comfortable win in SA20 curtain raiser

MI Cape Town kickstarted the first edition of SA20 in style with a statement eight-wicket victory over the Paarl Royals in the season opener at Newlands. Jofra Archer’s 3 for 27 helped MI Cape Town restrict the Royals to 142 for seven in the first innings before Dewald Brevis starred with the bat for the home side, smashing a 41-ball 70 to take his team home in the chase with eight wickets to spare. MI Cape Town also earned a bonus point for wiping off the target inside 16 overs.

The stars were on show for both sides in the SA20 curtain raiser in Cape Town. Returning to the international arena after an extended layover, Jofra Archer enjoyed an incredible comeback and started with a wicket maiden in the third over of the match. Jos Buttler and Jason Roy led a brief recovery for the Royals with a couple of eye-catching boundaries, but the slow nature of the wicket prevented the visitors from breaking free.

Cape Town also picked up a couple of quick wickets, with Jason Roy and Dane Vilas falling in quick succession, leaving the Royals in a spot of bother at 58 for three at the halfway mark. David Miller and Jos Buttler shared a 48-run partnership to get the innings back on track, but the opener was dismissed by his countryman Olly Stone just after reaching his half-century to dent the Royals’ progress.

Eoin Morgan and David Miller smashed Sam Curran for a pair of sixes in the 18th over to set up a big finish, but Jofra Archer picked up two wickets in two balls in the penultimate over, which went for just two runs as the Paarl Royals finished on 142 for seven in their innings.

In response, the MI Cape Town opening pair of Ryan Rickleton and Dewald Brevis added a 90-run stand in just 64 deliveries to set up the win for the home side. The left-hander was dropped in the first over by Dane Vilas and made the most of his reprieve, lacing Ramon Simonds for three successive fours to get the ball rolling for Cape Town.

Brevis, meanwhile, was equally destructive. The teenage sensation scored just seven runs off his first 12 deliveries but exploded in the back half of the run chase to take the hosts home. The opener smashed four fours and five sixes and showcased the full force of his brutal ball-striking, finishing with an unbeaten 70 off 41 deliveries that sealed the run chase with 27 balls to spare.