SA20: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Hardus Viljoen star as Paarl Royals end JSK campaign

Youth and experience combined in perfect harmony for Paarl Royals as they sent Joburg Super Kings crashing out of the SA20 Eliminator at a rousing Centurion on Thursday evening.Teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius starred with the bat, with last season’s leading run-scorer coming to the fore when it mattered most as the Royals defeated JSK by 36 runs.

The powerful left-hander put a disappointing second season behind him with a 34-ball 51 that formed the bedrock of the Royals’ imposing 210/5.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The rest of the Royals’ batters all chipped in, from opener Kyle Verreynne (30 off 15 balls) through to Dan Lawrence (36 off 23 balls), Sikandar Raza (35 off 19 balls) and Asa Tribe (30 not out off 16 balls).Joburg Super Kings’ run-chase never left the starting blocks, with 36-year-old fast bowler Hardus Viljoen turning back the clock to deliver a rasping opening spell.Viljoen (3/24) hurried the JSK batters with his pace, sending Neil Timmers and Matthew de Villiers back to the pavilion within the Powerplay.JSK certainly missed the experience of their injured captain Faf du Plessis and Rilee Rossouw during this period, as left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin and the competition’s leading wicket-taker Ottneil Baartman also chipped in with a wicket apiece to reduce the Super Kings to 40/4.

Stand-in captain James Vince and Wiaan Mulder attempted to rebuild the innings with a 58-run partnership for the fifth wicket.That stand was brought to a close by another impressive Royals teenager, Nqobani Mokoena, who outsmarted Vince with an excellent slower ball to bowl the Englishman.The four Player of the Match candidates were Bjorn Fortuin, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Asa Tribe and Hardus Viljoen, with the left-handed opener winning 53% of the fan vote.Mulder (41 off 27 balls) attempted to keep the dwindling JSK flame flickering, but he too was outdone by the brilliance of Baartman, which ended all hopes.

The Royals now face Sunrisers Eastern Cape on Friday evening in Qualifier 2.The winner will earn the prized opportunity to head to Cape Town to face Pretoria Capitals in Sunday’s grand final at Newlands.Brief ScoresPaarl Royals: 210 for 5 after 20 overs (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 51, Dan Lawrence 36, Sikandar Raza 35; Wiaan Mulder 2/45) Joburg Super Kings: 174 for 8 in 20 overs (James Vince 47, Wiaan Mulder 2/45; Hardus Viljoen 3/24)