Pretoria Capitals won the game by 21 runs.
A fire broke out in the vehicle parking area during the SA20 2026 clash between Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals, outside Boland Park on Saturday. Despite this, the game carried on without any interruption.
The incident occurred during the fourth over of the Paarl Royals’ chase of a modest 139-run target against the Capitals in SA20 2026. Flames appeared in the parking lot on the west side of the stadium, and people in the stands looked on with concern for their cars. Some fans did go to check on their vehicle. Despite this, the game carried on without any stoppage, as firefighters managed to put out the flames by the seventh over. As no damage or injuries were reported, the game went on smoothly.
The curtain of smoke surrounded the ground from the get-go, making the problem at Boland Park worse. The match was already being played in heavy haze from fires in Franschhoek on Wednesday. The fire had spread to adjacent areas due to strong winds and hot and dry weather, covering the region in smoke from the start of the match and making it very smoky by the middle of the game.
Wildfires are common in the Western Cape of South Africa during the summer, where dry heat and windy conditions cause the burning of acres of mountain plants each year. Damage to people or buildings is not common, even with how big these fires can get.
In 2015, a fire that lasted nine days came very close to former cricketer Dale Steyn’s residence when he was representing the country in the ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The Paarl area is home to several big names of Proteas cricket, including Faf du Plessis, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, David Miller, and current India bowling coach Morne Morkel.
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The Pretoria Capitals won by 21 runs in a tight SA20 2026 match against the Paarl Royals. They defended a score of 139 with good bowling. Pacer Lungi Ngidi gave an early breakthrough, and then Keshav Maharaj and other spinners took control as they restricted the Royals to 117 runs on a slow pitch that helped his bowling style. Even with David Miller, the captain, and Rubin Hermann showing some resistance, the Royals couldn’t build a big enough partnership.
Earlier, the Royals bowlers didn’t offer any freebies to the Capitals batter initially as the visitors were reeling at 74/6 at one stage. However, a small 29-run partnership between Sherfane Rutherford and Keshav Maharaj allowed the Capitals to take the game deep. Rutherford displayed his muscle power at the end, smashing a couple of sixes in the final over bowled by Hardus Viljoen that arguably made all the difference. This win moved the Capitals to third place in the SA20 2026 standings, with 15 points and three victories.
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