Paarl Royals cruise to playoffs of the Sa20 with a dominant spin unit along with a consistent home show in the tournament.
Paarl Royals have become the first team to qualify for the SA20 2025 playoffs with an 11-run win over Pretoria Capitals
Bjorn Fortuin believes that his side have done all the things right as they make the final 4 of the tournament.
The Boland-born left-arm spinner has spent his whole career playing franchise T20 cricket for clubs headquartered here and knows that slowing down is the key to success.
“We’ve played here quite a bit now, so I’ve sort of tailored a lot of my game plan towards playing in conditions like this,” Fortuin had said after Royals’ win over Joburg Super Kings earlier this week. “I wouldn’t quite call it subcontinent conditions, but it definitely lends itself towards that type of game plan.
“Keeping things simple is a big part of doing well here. In the past, we’ve had quite explosive players. Sometimes they come off, sometimes they don’t. This season, there’s been a lot more consistency, and playing well at home contributes to that.”
The Boland, which is 50 kilometres inland from Cape Town, is hot and dry throughout the hottest part of the summer, and as the season lengthens, the surfaces become more challenging for running. The slow, low pitch on Saturday was a prime illustration of that. Fortuin played for Paarl-based clubs for five years, including three in the SA20 and two with the now-defunct Mzansi Super League’s Paarl Rocks. Fortuin spent his early domestic career here. Especially with the new ball, he has modified his style of play to suit these circumstances.
In the powerplay, fortuin is frequently employed to apply pressure up front and typically make a few important cuts. Fortuin’s economy rate of 6.08 in the power play is the greatest over the course of the three SA20 seasons.
Offspinners Joe Root and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, as well as left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage, have joined Fortuin for season. They are currently dominating all bowling statistics in the competition. Wellalage and Fortuin have the two lowest economy rates in the tournament, while Mujeeb is currently tied for the most wickets taken. Perhaps more than he anticipated, Root has already bowled 16 overs. On Saturday, the Royals launched their first all-spin attack in a T20 match in South Africa, adding legspinner Nqaba Peter.
That might be true for the entire tournament. The Royals have won all four of their games at home and have only lost once, to their neighbours, MI Cape Town. The Royals have advanced to the elimination stage but failed to reach a final for the third straight season. Additionally, because they have dropped form at the business end in the past, they will be cautious about doing so again.
“So we won’t count our chickens too early,” Fortuin said. “The past two seasons, we’ve had good starts and then sort of fallen away towards the back end. So we’ll take it game by game.”