MI Cape Town gave only one game to Tristan Luus.
MI Cape Town (MICT) will take on Paarl Royals (PR) in the 13th match of SA20 2026. Both teams faced each other in the previous game, where the Royals won by a solitary run.
MI Cape Town: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Nicholas Pooran, Reeza Hendricks, Jason Smith, Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Rashid Khan (c), Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Tristan Luus
Paarl Royals: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Asa Tribe, Rubin Hermann, Kyle Verreynne (wk), David Miller (c), Sikandar Raza, Delano Potgieter, Bjorn Fortuin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman
Batters have dominated in two games so far, with 200 breached in three of the four innings this season. On both occasions, the teams batting first have won in Cape Town. The team winning the toss might still elect to field first.
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MI Cape Town gave Tristan Luus an opportunity in the opening game, but soon left him out of the second game onwards. That was a shocking move, given the talent and high skill sets he brings. Luus is among the finest young pacers in the South African arena, but MICT have opted for the likes of Karim Janat, Dane Piedt, and Jacques Snyman for various reasons.
Some of these moves were understandable, but Luus still deserves a spot in the XI since he has attributes suited for the conditions. Additionally, MICT don’t have many better options: they played Piedt, who doesn’t bring enough value as an off-spinner, and Karim, who doesn’t contribute with bat or ball in these conditions. Hence, the idea should be to bring in a specialist who adds value in a specific department.
In two games so far, pacers have averaged better than spinners in Cape Town. Fast bowlers have taken 19 wickets at 27.36 runs apiece here, compared to spinners’ eight scalps at 34.50. There’s always some new-ball assistance for pacers at this venue, and another pacer will work at this venue.
Additionally, MICT have been the worst side in the middle overs in SA20 2026, with only six wickets at 41.33 runs apiece. They have the worst average and second-worst economy rate (9.19) in this phase. Furthermore, MICT have the lowest dot% of 22.22 between overs 7 and 15.
If Tristan Luus comes in, MI Cape Town can use Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult with the new ball, while Luus can act as an enforcer in the middle overs. He has the pace and generates extra bounce, which will work against the Paarl Royals. Rashid Khan will have a solid pace option that complements him while bringing wicket-taking skills when the field is spread.
In 2025, Tristan Luus took four wickets at an average of 26.50 and an economy rate of 8.15 between overs 7 and 16. While this is a short sample size, he definitely has the bowling smarts to adapt according to the batter. MICT don’t get enough from the likes of Piedt either, and selecting Luus will at least give them more pace options to rotate throughout the innings, apart from his obvious high skills.
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