Roy, Buttler shine as Paarl Royals stay top

• Half-centuries at the top of the order plus five wickets by spinners secure bonus-point win

Paarl Royals consolidated their top spot on the table, thumping MI Cape Town by 59 runs in their SA20 clash at Boland Park in Paarl on Sunday.

Half-centuries at the top of the order by Jason Roy and Jos Buttler with five wickets between their spinners Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi secure an impressive bonuspoint win. Chasing 163 for victory on a slow surface, MI Cape Town were never in the race having slipped to 14/3 within the first four overs. They were eventually dismissed for a paltry 103.

Fortuin opened the bowling, claiming the scalps of Rassie van der Dussen (0) and Dewald Brevis (0) off successive deliveries in the first over. The left-arm spinner finished with 3/15 while Shamsi chipped in with 2/11.

Connor Esterhuizen (32) and Liam Livingstone (22) were the only MI Cape Town batters to impress. The victory ensured the Royals remain in first position, five points ahead of secondplaced Durban’s Super Giants.

Earlier, MI Cape Town won the toss and opted to field. They will have questioned their decision as the Royals’ English openers Roy and Buttler got stuck in.

The pair used their wealth of experience to great effect on a slow surface to post 116 for the first wicket in 13 overs. Roy was first to depart the scene, dismissed by Thomas Kaber for an aggressive 69 off only 49 balls.

Slinging seamer Nuwan Thushara struck a double blow for MI Cape Town, first bowling Buttler for 54 and then trapping Fabian Allen in front of his wickets with the next ball. Thushara was particularly effective with his full-length deliveries at the back end of the innings. The Sri Lankan finished with a tidy 2/27 in his four overs.

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape host the Pretoria Capitals at St George’s Park, Gqeberha, in the next match of the tournament on Monday (5.30pm). Sunrisers are finally starting to identify their path as they continue their pursuit of a play-off place, said slow bowler Simon Harmer.

Harmer claimed four crucial wickets for just 18 runs in four overs to help restrict Durban’s Super Giants to 159/7 on Saturday. Harmer’s performance at Kingsmead was a complete turnaround from his showing against the same opponents in the reverse fixture a week ago, where he conceded 53 runs from three overs without taking a wicket as the defending champions slumped to a 35-run defeat at the hands of DSG.

The right-arm off-spinner said the side are finally starting to find their feet. “Our first game was rained out and everyone was desperate to get out on the field for that one, so it’s taken us a while to gel and start to identify how we want to go about our business. Losing at home in our first game ... didn’t help.