All-round Rutherford powers Pretoria Capitals to thumping win

Sherfane All-round 's all-round performance (15-ball 47* & 4-24) powered Pretoria Capitals to a thumping 85-run victory over MI Cape Town at Newlands on Wednesday. After posting a mammoth 220 for 5, Capitals bowled out the hosts for 135, securing their maiden victory of the season and stretching MICT's winless run to three games in the ongoing season of SA20.

MICT's new ball pair made a good start, with the returning Kagiso Rabada even striking in his first over, having Bryce Parsons caught behind. However, once Will Smead and Shai Hope cut loose in the third over, stroking a couple of boundaries and a six off Trent Boult, Capitals picked up momentum. Corbin Bosch and George Linde added to their troubles with a strike each, reducing them to 39 for 3 in the powerplay.

Hope and Wihaan Lubbe revived the innings with an 88-run stand, which laid the foundation for Capitals' massive total. Lubbe did give the early charge to Linde and Rashid Khan, but it was in the ninth over against Corbin Bosch that he cut loose. Three boundaries were scored in that over by the duo as they signalled the intent to flip the momentum around.

The flow of boundaries continued with each passing over, but MICT seized back some of the momentum by dismissing both the set batters in a space of six balls. Nonetheless, that was only to open doors for a carnage by Rutherford and Dewald Brevis.

It started with a no-look loft by Brevis against Boult, and then Bosch came at the receiving end of three sixes in the next over. Rutherford smoked four sixes off successive deliveries against Dwaine Pretorius as the duo added 86 runs in the last 27 balls.

In response, MICT made a promising start with Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen carting the Capitals bowlers all around the park. Just when Rickelton was gaining momentum with a couple of boundaries in the third over - after having made a slowish start - he was dropped by Rutherford on 12. He made the Capitals bowlers pay as the openers went on to add 60 runs in the first 31 balls before Rickelton holed out to the deep backward square leg fielder.

Van der Dussen too had his share of luck when he was dropped by Parsons in the seventh over, but he couldn't make the opposition pay, pulling a good length delivery by the same player to deep mid wicket only a few balls later.

Nicholas Pooran smashed Parsons and Keshav Maharaj for four sixes in a space of five balls, but his innings too was cut short quickly. Pooran miscued a swing to deep mid wicket and opened the doors for a collapse. The gamble to throw the ball to Rutherford paid off big time. He picked four wickets as MICT lost their last seven wickets for only 35 runs. Maharaj too chipped in; cleaning up Jason Smith and having Rashid stumped.

Brief Scores: Pretoria Capitals 220/5 in 20 overs (Wihan Lubbe 60, Sherfane Rutherford 47*; Kagiso Rabada 2-48) beat MI Cape Town 135 in 14.2 overs (Ryan Rickelton 33, Rassie van der Dussen 28; Sherfane Rutherford 4-24, Keshav Maharaj 3-28) by 85 runs