"We came here to conquer, we came here to win. Gees like Royals!"
Codi Yusuf's nice little composition summed up the mood in the Paarl Royals dressing room after their dominating win against Joburg Super Kings in the last match. Although they started their SA20 campaign with a loss, David Miller-led side bounced back in true fashion at Boland Park, their home ground. A comprehensive 7-wicket win meant that they now have their first points under the belt, along with a bonus point for chasing down the target inside 11 overs.
The Royals now get on the road to face their next opponent, Durban's Super Giants in their backyard.
Match Details
8th Match: Durban's Super Giants vs Paarl Royals
Kingsmead, Durban
Sunday, Jan 15: 1:30 PM local time
The Kingsmead cricket ground in Durban is located very close to the ocean, which makes the playing conditions humid at most times. The ground, like many others in South Africa, offers a good mix of grass banks and modern seating, allowing spectators to spend a leisurely day of cricket watching.
This will be the first encounter between both teams in the tournament. While the Royals are brimming with confidence after their first win, the Super Giants are also coming off an away victory against MI Cape Town. However, they lost their first home game at this venue against the Super Kings, who set a massive target of 191 in the first innings. Traditionally, Kingsmead has been a batting paradise so expect run-scoring if similar wickets are prepared. A total of 11 wickets fell in the last game, which suggests there's equal juice in the pitch for the bowlers as well. Expect an even contest between bat and ball.
Team News
Lungi Ngidi (1/13) and Evan Jones (3/21) came into the playing XI and straightaway made an impact with the ball alongside an impressive bowling display from the Royals. The batting is also starting to click, and with Jason Roy promoted to his usual opener's slot, the top order looks more or less settled. There are still no signs of Corbin Bosch in the line-up, which begs the question around the all-rounder's entry into the playing XI. Will the management continue to field the winning combination? Or will Corbin come in to beef up that middle order? Time will tell!
Royal to watch
Lungi Ngidi: Lungi's inclusion added some much-needed experience to a young and promising bowling attack against the Super Kings. His three overs in the Powerplay successfully created pressure on the batters, eventually resulting in their fall. Captain Miller's aggressive approach to use his senior-most pacer up front worked well for the team. He will hope to do the same going forward.