Verreynne’s historic century in vain as night end’s in agony

Kyle Verreynne rewrote the SA20 records books with the highest ever score of 116 not out, but it was not enough to prevent the Pretoria Capitals from falling to a 34-run defeat to MI Cape Town at Centurion on Thursday evening.

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Verreynne enthralled the Centurion crowd with 52-ball innings that included seven boundaries and nine sixes to better Joburg Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis’s 113 not out from season one.

He single-handedly prevented MI Cape Town from claiming the invaluable bonus point on offer after the Capitals were reduced to 42/6 in their pursuit of the visitors’ mammoth 248/4.

Centurion certainly was a graveyard for the bowlers on the night with a new SA20 record match aggregate of 32 sixes struck.

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SETTING THE SCENE WITH THE BAT

The tournament’s leading run-scorer Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen (21 off 9 balls) set the tone for the evening with a rapid 64-run opening stand for MI Cape Town in only five overs.

The MICT opening pair rediscovered their touch after going quiet in recent matches after a blitzkrieg start to the competition.

Rickelton was certainly back to his best with the left-hander striking the ball sweetly again as he plundered 90 off just 45 balls (10×4, 5×6). It was Rickelton’s third score within the 90s in season two along with an 87.

Dewald Brevis also came to the party with 67 not out off only 32 balls (3×4, 6×6) before Kieron Pollard (27* off 7 balls) and Sam Curran (22* off 12 balls) delivered the finishing touch.

Capitals seamer Daryn Dupavillon suffered the misfortune of conceding the worst figures in SA20 history of 1/73.

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HOW BOWLERS FARED FOR CAPE TOWN’S SA20 SIDE

MI Cape Town’s seamers Kagiso Rabada (2/32) and Nuwan Thushara (3/37) then showed their class by adapting to the batting friendly conditions before Verreynne took control with a spellbinding innings to get the Capitals up to 214/8.

The two sides will meet again at Newlands on Saturday with MI Cape Town (13 points) and Pretoria Capitals (10) both hoping for a Joburg Super Kings (13) defeat to log-leaders Durban’s Super Giants in order to give one of them an opportunity of clinching the final playoff spot on offer in SA20 season two.

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