The opening round of Betway SA20 Season 4 matches has seen all the visiting teams dominate, not least at Boland Park on Saturday night. Sunrisers bowled Royals out for just 49 - the lowest ever score in the history of Betway SA20 - to claim a bonus point 137-run bonus point victory. It was also the first time the Sunrisers have triumphed in their opening game of the season.
The battle of the Hermann brothers at Boland Park was comfortably won by Sunrisers' Jordan, who struck a delightful 62 not out off just 28 balls (5x4, 4x6) to power the two-times champions to 186/4.
Bairstow (31 off 33 balls) had provided the momentum upfront with a 66-run stand off only 50 balls.
The momentum was maintained by Matthew Breetzke (31 off 28 balls) and Hermann, who added a further 73 off 42 balls for the fourth wicket before the blitz at the death.
Jordan Hermann top-scored against Paarl Royals
Jordan Hermann's unbeaten 62 made him a contender for the Player of the Match award until Nortje got hold of the ball.
Royals' chase never got out of the starting blocks with the Sunrisers’ pacemen Marco Jansen (1/15 ), Adam Milne (2/17) and Anrich Nortje (4/13) wreaking havoc in the Powerplay to reduce the home team to 30/4.
Nortje, in particular, worked up a good head of steam in his Betway SA20 comeback after “The Uitenhage Express” missed the last two seasons due to injury.
There was no way back from there for the Royals, who will have to regroup quickly ahead of the rematch against the Sunrisers at St George’s Park on New Year's Eve.
