SA20 2026: Parking-lot fire breaks out during Paarl Royals-Pretoria Capitals match

A fire just outside Boland Park raised concerns for a brief while during the SA20 match between Paarl Royals (PR) and Pretoria Capitals (PC). However, it did not lead to a halt in play or cause any damage.

The blaze broke out during the fourth over of the Royals' chase, in the parking lot on the western side of the ground, and appeared unconnected to the mountain fires that have been raging since earlier in the week. The fire was put out by the seventh over, with no damage reported.

While spectators were not asked to vacate the stadium, many of them went outside voluntarily to check on their vehicles upon seeing the flames. The match continued, with the fire brigade working in the background.

Pictures of scorched earth emerged after the blaze was put out. However, a curtain of smoke engulfed the ground from the outset.

"We did notice it. There have been a few fires around Pearl Valley (the accommodation used by Paarl Royals) in the last week or so. We were scrambling for DLS in case we had to get off the field. But if there's anywhere in the world where the firefighters know what they're doing, it's here," Richard das Neves, PR's assistant coach, said.

Meanwhile, Pretoria Capitals' captain Keshav Maharaj revealed that he had no idea about the source of the smoke, which was visible to his players during the match.

"A fire in the parking lot? Wow. There was a lot of smoke out there, so I just assumed it was from that. It's very hot out there," the left-arm spinner stated.

Coming to the match, Maharaj won the toss and opted to bat first. The Capitals were restricted to 138/9 in their 20 overs, with Sherfane Rutherford top-scoring with an unbeaten 35-ball 42. Sikandar Raza, Dan Lawrence, and Hardus Viljoen bagged two wickets apiece.

In reply, Paarl Royals could only manage a score of 117/6 in the second innings. Skipper David Miller and Rubin Hermann scored 45 and 35, respectively. However, the rest of the batters failed to impress on a challenging surface. Maharaj was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 2/14 in four overs.