Match: Pretoria Capitals vs Paarl Royals, (PC vs PR, 1st Semi-final, SA20 2023)
Date: February 8, 2022 – 9 PM IST
Venue: The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
After a pretty entertaining group stage, we have our four semifinalists of the inaugural edition of the SA20. Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape will face off in the second semi-final while Pretoria Capitals and Paarl Royals will take each other on in the first. The first semifinal is set to take place at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday, February 8th.
Pretoria Capitals were by far the best side in the group stage, topping the table with 32 points after winning seven matches. Paarl Royals finished fourth with 19 points, winning four matches and losing five.
These two teams collided in the final group fixture a day prior, where the Capitals came out victorious by 59 runs. The Royals just needed to make sure they didn’t lose by a heavy margin as they had superior net run-rate to Durban’s Super Giants. But they almost made a mess of it.
Pretoria Capitals’ openers came out firing on all cylinders and put on 69 runs in just 5.2 overs. Phil Salt scored 39 off 21 while Kusal Mendis went on to smash 80 off 41 balls. Colin Ingram blasted a 21-ball 41 as the Capitals posted 226/5.
Going for the win, the Royals lost 4 for 67 before David Miller and Jos Buttler added 34 runs. But they again lost quick wickets, getting reduced to 115/7 in 15.5 overs. They needed 48 runs to qualify in 25 balls with Buttler being the only hope. He ended with 70 off 45, putting them on the brink of qualification.
Pitch Report and Weather Forecast for PC vs PR, 1st Semi-final, SA20 2022/23
The Wanderers Stadium has generally produced pretty good pitches for batting. The average batting first score here from more than 70 T20 matches reads 168. As for the ongoing tournament, Batters had good success in the first two games while the pitch was tricky in the last two games.
The weather could well play a spoilsport in this game as Johannesburg could witness showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon and evening. There’s over a 60% chance of precipitation while the temperature hovers around 18°C.
Pretoria Capitals – Expected XI and Team News
Pretoria Capitals’ captain Wayne Parnell missed the last three games due to a hamstring injury. It is unlikely that he’ll recover for this game. Anrich Nortje and Adil Rashid returned for the final group match, having been rested against Durban. Joshua Little was rested on Tuesday and he should replace Migael Pretorius here.
Probable XI – Philip Salt (wk), Kusal Mendis, Theunis de Bruyn (c), Rilee Rossouw, Colin Ingram, James Neesham, Senuran Muthusamy, Eathan Bosch, Rashid Khan, Anrich Nortje, Joshua Little
Paarl Royals – Expected XI and Team News
Paarl Royals made a few changes in the previous game, bringing in Paul Stirling with Jos Buttler moving down to number three. Eoin Morgan also came in for Dane Vilas. Codi Yusuf played the previous game but expect Tabraiz Shamsi to slot back in for the semi-final.
Probable XI – Jason Roy, Paul Stirling, Jos Buttler (wk), Mitchell Van Buuren, Eoin Morgan, David Miller (c), Andile Phehlukwayo, Evan Jones, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi
Head to Head record of PC vs PR
Total Encounters – 2
Pretoria Capitals won – 1
Paarl Royals won – 1
Best Captaincy Picks for the PC vs PR match
Jos Buttler: Wicketkeeper Batter, Paarl Royals
Jos Buttler has been the best batter for Paarl Royals this competition, scoring 378 runs at an average of 42 while striking at 131. He has registered four fifties in the tournament and is coming off 45-ball 70 in the previous game. Buttler remains a top captaincy pick.
Anrich Nortje: Bowler, Pretoria Capitals
The fast bowler has been in menacing form across formats. Anrich Nortje has taken 16 wickets in the SA20 from nine innings at an exceptional economy of 6.17 with best of 3/12. Nortje is coming off 1/14 off four overs and is a top C/VC option.
Kusal Mendis: Wicketkeeper Batter, Pretoria Capitals
Kusal Mendis is coming off a magnificent 80 in 41 balls versus the Royals. He has scored 195 runs from five innings in the SA20 at an average of 39 and 162. Mendis has been in good form in the last couple of years, scoring over 1500 runs at 34 average and 130 strike rate.
Top Differential Picks
Ethan Bosch: Bowler, Pretoria Capitals
Ethan Bosch has done an excellent job for the Capitals in this campaign. He has snared 12 wickets at an economy of 7.93 with best figures of 3/12. He’s picked by only 24% of the fantasy teams.
Bjorn Fortuin: Bowler, Paarl Royals
Bjorn Fortuin has been superb with the ball for the Royals. The left arm spinner has picked 13 wickets in nine innings at an economy of 6.50, including best figures of 3/14. He should be handy at the Wanderers.
MPL Fantasy XI
Where and what time to watch the match live in India
Viacom18 has the rights for the SA20 broadcast in India. You can watch the semi-final between Pretoria Capitals and Paarl Royals match on Sports18 at 9 PM on Wednesday. You can also catch the action live on online streaming platform Jio Cinema.
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
