rich 888 Joe Root Leads Paarl Royals To Record-Breaking Run Chase Against Pretoria Capitals

Joe Root starred as he led Paarl Royals to the highest successful run chase in SA20 history against Pretoria Capitals on Saturday. (More Sports News)

England batter Root was 92 not out from only 60 balls as the Royals chased down their victory target of 213 with two balls to spare at Centurion.

The Capitals were in control when they won the toss and raced to 212-5 from their 20 overs, with Will Smeed (54), Kyle Verreynne (45) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (42) all making notable contributions.

And a record run chase for victory looked even less likely when the Royals lost big-hitting opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius on the first ball of their reply.

But fellow opener Root held the innings together as he struck 11 fours and two sixes, enjoying a 125-run partnership with Rubin Hermann (56) before he was joined by captain David Miller (48no from 24) to get the Royals, who are top of the standings with three wins from four, over the line.

A chase of the highest order #BetwaySA20 #PCvPR #WelcomeToIncredible pic.twitter.com/qO9k0yec0L

The highest SA20 score by a team batting second remains the Capitals' 214-8 against MI Cape Town in 2024,ph222 casino but that total was in a losing effort.

The India-Pakistan hockey rivalry has lost its sheen in recent times. Hockey in Pakistan has been in a freefall for the last decade or so while Indians have made a tremendous comeback in the same time period. The two countries used to rule world hockey at one point and the seeds for it were sown during the British rule in India.

The team led by Ammad Butt, finally secured their first victory with a 2-1 win over Japan and then delivered a decisive 5-1 win against China, to enter the semi-finals. Their final pool match ended in a narrow 2-1 loss to India.

Data Debrief: Root ties career-high score

Root is among the world's best batters in Test and 50-over cricket, but he is showing that he still has plenty to offer in the shorter formats of the game with his form so far in the SA20.

In his 105th T20 innings, an unbeaten 92 was tied with his career-high score achieved for Yorkshire against rivals Lancashire way back in 2016.

He is averaging 97.50 in his four SA20 innings so far and is the tournament's second-highest run scorer with 195rich 888, putting him behind only team-mate Pretorius (206) as the Royals continue to impress.