Franchise Cricket

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Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza took 4-13 to set up a comfortable seven-wicket win for Paarl Royals against MI Cape Town in the SA20.

Cape Town were 27-0 when Raza came on to bowl the fifth over and had Rassie van der Dussen caught for 14.

From there, Cape Town fell away and were bowled out for 88 in 18.4 overs.

Raza returned in the 13th over to bowl Jason Smith, before he dismissed George Linde and Rashid Khan in successive balls in the 17th over.

Royals lost Lhuan-dre Pretorius in the first over of the chase but Glamorgan and England Lions batter Asa Tribe put on 54 for the second wicket with Rubin Hermann.

The latter fell to leave Royals 56-2 and Tribe was out for 34 three overs later.

But David Miller and Kyle Verreynne saw Royals over the line with 42 balls to spare.

The bonus-point win sees Royals climb to second, while defending champions Cape Town remain bottom.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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Captain Will Sutherland hit two sixes in the final over to power Melbourne Renegades to a gripping four-wicket victory over rivals Melbourne Stars.

With 13 needed from the last over in pursuit of 174, Sutherland began by hitting Marcus Stoinis over the leg side and, with three needed from the last two balls, struck the Australia all-rounder back over his head to complete victory with a ball to spare in front of a crowd in excess of 65,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Renegades had stumbled from a strong position of 127-1 after opener Josh Brown was bowled for 84 at the start of the 14th over.

They lost 5-34, including Mohammad Rizwan for 41, but Sutherland secured Renegades' second win of the season by finishing 19 not out from seven balls.

Stars, who would have gone top of the standings with a win, had to scrap to their total of 173-9 with England bowler Tom Curran top-scoring with 38.

Campbell Kellaway made 33 and Hilton Cartwright 28 but the loss of regular wickets checked the scoring.

Perth Scorchers moved above Stars into second later on Sunday by beating Adelaide Strikers by 33 runs.

An opening partnership of 72 between Mitchell Marsh and Sam Fanning set up the hosts‘ 153-8 and Adelaide barely threatened in their chase and were dismissed for 120.

Strikers are sixth and Renegades seventh with two wins from five matches.

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Both of Saturday's matches in the SA20 were abandoned without a ball bowled because of rain and the persistent threat of lightning in the local area.

Joburg Super Kings' match against Sunrisers Eastern Cape was a day game and the weather relented initially for a five-over game to be agreed and a toss to take place, but the lightning returned and caused the game to be abandoned.

Durban's Super Giants were due to face Pretoria Capitals in a day-night match but the toss was delayed due to inclement weather.

A toss took place, with a 16-over-per-side game agreed, but the rain returned and the game was eventually abandoned.

All four sides take two points each. It means Super Kings are three points clear of Sunrisers at the top of the table, while Super Giants and Capitals are fourth and fifth respectively.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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David Warner's unbeaten 130 was in vain as Hobart Hurricanes comfortably chased 206 to beat Sydney Thunder by six wickets in the Big Bash League.

Warner struck 11 fours and nine sixes in his 65-ball knock as he made his highest Big Bash score - and the joint-fourth biggest in the tournament's history.

He dominated Thunder's innings with Nic Maddinson adding 30 and Sam Billings 20 as they posted 205-4.

Defending champions Hurricanes got off to a superb start in the chase with Mitch Owen and Tim Ward putting on 108 in 51 balls for the first wicket.

Owen fell for 45 off 18 balls, but Ward continued and added 40 in 25 balls with England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed (16 off 14).

Ward fell shortly after Rehan for a brilliant 90 off 49 balls, but Hurricanes only needed 49 off 35 balls.

Ben McDermott fell four balls later, after hitting two fours, but Matthew Wade (13*) and Nikhil Chaudhary (29* off 14) got Hurricanes over the line with 13 balls to spare.

They move top of the table, although they have played two more games than Melbourne Stars in second. Thunder remain bottom with one win from six games.

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A middle-order collapse from MI Cape Town helped Paarl Royals snatch a dramatic one-run win in the SA20.

Chasing 182, Cape Town's chase got off to a strong start with Ryan Rickelton (36 off 20) and Rassie van Dussen (59 off 42) putting on 77 for the first wicket.

Cape Town were 109-1 but dramatically slipped to 118-6 in a 18-ball spell with Ottneil Baartman (4-51) and Sikandar Raza (3-27) both picking up two wickets.

However, captain Rashid Khan crashed 35 off 18 balls, in a stand of 51 off 27 balls with George Linde.

That set up a scenario where Cape Town needed 15 from the last over.

Rashid took two from the first ball before he holed out to long-off off Baartman.

Kagiso Rabada hit his first delivery for six to leave seven from three balls required, but he picked out long-on next ball.

Trent Boult took a single next, leaving six required from the last ball, but George Linde could only hit for four.

Earlier, Royals posted 181-3 with Lhuan-dre Pretorius making 98 not out, which is the highest individual score in Paarl Royals' history.

He was supported by Glamorgan and England Lions batter Asa Tribe, who made 51 off 34 balls at the top of the order.

The win sees Royals climb to third, while defending champions Cape Town are bottom, having failed to win in their first four matches.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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England's Tom Banton made an unbeaten 63 to guide MI Emirates into the International League T20 final with a seven-wicket win over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.

Chasing 121 on a tricky wicket, MI were 6-1 and 36-2 but Banton put on 82 with Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan (38 off 24) to put them on top.

Shakib was dismissed with three required, but Banton got them over the line with 23 balls to spare.

Banton hit six fours and one six in his 53-ball knock and he climbs up to fourth in the top run-scorers list in this year's competition.

MI Emirates will face table-toppers Desert Vipers in Sunday's final as they look to win their second title.

They restricted Knight Riders to 120-8 from their 20 overs with Alishan Sharafu making 50 not out and Alex Hales 29, after he was restored to the top of the order in Phil Salt's absence.

Afghanistan's Allah Ghazanfar was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3-24.

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A superb chase of 196 from Brisbane Heat ended Melbourne Stars' four-game winning start in the 2025-26 Big Bash League.

Heat were under pressure at 34-2 but Nathan McSweeney (43) and Matt Renshaw (41) put on 69 for the third wicket to put the chase back on track.

However, both fell in the space of three balls, and Hugh Weibgen was dismissed cheaply to leave Heat 109-6 after 13 overs.

Max Bryant and Jimmy Peirson put on 24 in 16 balls, before the latter was out, leaving.

Heat needed 44 from 18 balls and from there Bryant and Xavier Bartlett put on a stunning display of hitting to seal a remarkable victory.

They took 17 off Peter Siddle's 18th over, before smashing the same off Tom Curran's penultimate over.

They left 10 required from the last, bowled by Haris Rauf, and Bryant, who finished 48 not out, hit the third ball for six to level the scores, before hitting a match-winning four.

Stars had posted 195-6 with Marcus Stoinis making 43 and Sam Harper 37. They were 137-6 but Blake Macdonald struck 37 not out off 12 at the end of the innings to give them momentum.

Stars remain top despite their first defeat, while Heat climb to fourth with their third win in six games.

• Big Bash fixtures & table

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Former England seamer David Willey has been signed by Sydney Thunder as a replacement for the injured Lockie Ferguson.

New Zealander Ferguson had been expected to join up with Thunder this weekend, after initially being replaced by Reece Topley, but has not recovered sufficiently.

Left-armer Willey, 35, became available after his Dubai Capitals side were knocked out of the International League T20 on Thursday.

He last played in the Big Bash in 2018-19 and has taken 26 wickets in 27 matches for Perth Scorchers.

"His bowling capabilities speak for themselves - being able to deliver tight, deceptive slower balls, yorkers, and cutters under pressure," said Thunder general manager Trent Copeland.

"He also offers a pivotal role in the batting order as a cleaning hitting left-hander who can contribute valuable quickfire runs.

"He is the type of player that we need to help turn our season around."

Willey will join up in time for Thunder's game against Adelaide Strikers on 6 January and will be available for their following two games.

Thunder are currently bottom of the table, with one win in their opening five games.

Ferguson joins Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi (Brisbane Heat) and Australia's Tim David (Hobart Hurricanes) in being ruled out of the tournament with injury.

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England's Richard Gleeson bowled a brilliant super over as Joburg Super Kings beat Durban's Super Giants in the SA20.

Gleeson conceded just six - four off the bat - and picked up the wicket of Evan Jones.

With seven required, Rilee Rossouw then Noor Ahmad's first and third ball for four to seal the win.

Gleeson had earlier taken 3-41, including David Weise in the 19th over, as Super Giants could only match Super Kings' 205.

They were struggling at 108-4 in the 13th over but Jones and Aiden Markram shared 60 in 24 balls to give them hope.

They needed 19 from 12 balls but Gleeson's superb penultimate over, which also included the run out of Jones, left 15 needed from the final over.

Wiaan Mulder bowled it and was hit for six off the second ball, before two successive wides when trying to bowl the fifth delivery of the over.

When Mulder did bowl a legitimate ball, Simon Harmer smashed it down the ground for four to leave the scores level.

Harmer missed the final ball and attempted to run a bye but Eathan Bosch was run out by Donovan Ferreira.

Shubham Ranjane top-scored in Super Kings' 205-8 with 50.

The win extends Super Kings' winning start and they sit second, while Super Giants are third.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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Phil Salt and Michael Pepper combined again to keep Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20 with a 50-run victory over Delhi Capitals.

The pair put on 122 for the first wicket with Pepper making 72 off 49 balls and Salt 43 off 34.

However, they were dismissed in a four-ball spell and Knight Riders slipped to 142-6 with Andre Russell, Alex Hales and Liam Livingstone all out cheaply.

Jason Holder gave them some late momentum though, with an unbeaten 22 off 11 balls helping them to 158-6.

Defending champions Capitals lost Toby Albert and Jordan Cox cheaply to fall to 31-2 and from there the spin duo of Sunil Narine and Livingstone took over for Knight Riders.

Narine claimed 3-12 and Livingstone took 3-26 to put Knight Riders completely on top.

Mohammad Nabi gave Capitals some hope with 27 but Holder removed him and Muhammad Jawadullah in successive balls to seal victory for Knight Riders.

They will face MI Emirates in Friday's Qualifier 2, with the winner progressing to Sunday's final against Desert Vipers.

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Australia's Mitch Marsh crashed 102 off 58 balls to set up a comfortable 40-run win for Perth Scorchers over Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.

Marsh hit 11 fours and five sixes at the top of the order as he made his highest Big Bash score.

He put on 164 with Aaron Hardie (94 not out off 43 balls) for the third wicket as Scorchers posted 229-3 - the seventh-highest total in Big Bash history.

Defending champions Hurricanes slipped to 70-4 in reply and were unable to recover, eventually finishing on 189-9.

Nikhil Chaudhary top-scored with 39, while Ashton Agar was the pick of the Scorchers' bowlers with 3-38.

Scorchers move to third in the table with the win, while Hurricanes remain second with four wins in six matches.

• Big Bash fixtures & table

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Pakistan's Babar Azam made an unbeaten 58 to guide Sydney Sixers to a six-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.

Chasing 165, Babar hit four fours and one six in his 46-ball knock to get Sixers over the line with five balls to spare.

He shared 46 with Daniel Hughes (30) for the opening wicket and 42 with Moises Henriques for the third wicket, before an unbroken stand of 51 with Joel Davies (34 off 15) gave Sixers the win.

Renegades had posted 164-9 from their 20 overs with Josh Brown top-scoring with 43 off 19 balls at the top of the order.

Sean Abbott was the pick of the Sixers bowlers, claiming 3-16, including the important wicket of Jake Fraser-McGurk, who was well set on 38 in the 15th over.

The win leaves Sixers fifth in the table, while Renegades are seventh after a third defeat in four games.

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West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford starred with bat and ball as Pretoria Capitals thrashed MI Cape Town by 85 runs in the SA20.

Rutherford smashed an unbeaten 47 off 15 balls at the backend of Capitals' innings to help them post 220-5 after opting to bat first.

He put on an unbroken 86 from 27 balls with Dewald Brevis (36* off 13) with the pair hitting 10 sixes between them.

Four of them came in four balls from Rutherford in the 19th over as Capitals added 72 in the final three overs of the innings.

They were struggling earlier in the innings at 38-3 in the powerplay but Shai Hope (45 off 30) and Wihan Lubbe (60 off 36) shared 88 for the fourth wicket to lay a platform.

In the chase, Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton shared 60 for the first wicket but both fell in a two-over period.

Nicolas Pooran hit four sixes in smashing 25 off six balls but he was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj and from there the defending champions slipped away.

The final seven wickets fell in the next seven overs with Rutherford claiming 4-24 and Maharaj finishing with 3-28.

Tymal Mills wrapped up victory, giving Capitals a bonus-point success in their first win of the season.

They climb to fourth in table, while Cape Town are bottom after two defeats and a washout in their three matches.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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Captain David Miller struck an unbeaten 71 to guide Paarl Royals to a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20.

Chasing 150, Royals were 35-4 but Miller shared 114 with Keagan Lion-Cachet (45 off 40) for the fifth wicket to put them back in control.

They needed 17 from 12 balls for victory and Lion-Cachet hit three fours in the penultimate over to leave just two required from the last.

Miller, who hit four fours and five sixes in his 38-ball knock, took a single from the first ball to level the scores.

Lewis Gregory then bowled two dots at Lion-Cachet, before having him caught at gully.

However, Gregory got his line wrong to new batter Delano Potgieter and a wide was signalled to give Royals victory with two balls to spare.

Sunrisers had earlier posted 149 all out with Jordan Hermann top-scoring with 47.

They were well set at 135-4 in the 17th over but Marco Jansen and Hermann were dismissed in the space of four balls to spark a collapse of six wickets for 13 runs in 19 balls.

The win is Royals' first of the season and lifts them to fourth, while Sunrisers remain top despite their first loss.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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England's Jamie Overton took 3-19 to set up Adelaide Strikers' seven-wicket win over Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.

Overton, who was named in England's T20 World Cup squad on Tuesday, removed Jack Wildermuth in the fifth over as Heat slipped to 17-3.

Their innings got worse as they fell to 67-7 in the 13th over as Overton claimed the wicket of Xavier Bartlett.

Heat battled up to 121 all out with Matt Kuhnemann making an unbeaten 31 and Hugh Weibgen 28, with the latter dismissed by Overton.

Strikers captain Matt Short (19) put on 51 with Chris Lynn for the opening wicket before being dismissed by Oli Patterson.

Lynn took over from there and powered his way to an unbeaten 79 off 41 with six fours and six sixes.

Three of those sixes were in succession over Kuhnemann at the start of the 13th over before Liam Scott hit a four off the first ball of the next over to seal victory.

The win lifts Strikers up to fourth after successive defeats, while Heat are fifth after a third loss in five matches.

• Big Bash fixtures & table

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Australia all-rounders Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland have withdrawn from the upcoming season of the Women's Premier League, but leg-spinner Alana King has signed up as a replacement.

Perry was due to represent 2024 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru again, while Sutherland was due to represent Delhi Capitals again.

King will replace Sutherland, having previously played one game for UP Warriorz last season.

India all-rounder Sayali Satghare, who has played three one-day internationals, has replaced Perry.

USA left-arm seamer Tara Norris will also miss the tournament due to international commitments and has been replaced by Australia's Charli Knott.

The fourth edition of the tournament begins on 9 January.

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Joburg Super Kings continued their unbeaten start to the SA20 season with a convincing win over Durban's Super Giants.

England seamer Richard Gleeson helped set up victory with three wickets for just two runs as Super Giants limped to 86 all out.

Captain Aiden Markram top-scored with 22 for the hosts, with England's Jos Buttler scoring 12 off 11.

All-rounder Prenelan Subrayen also took three wickets before Rilee Rossouw's 43 off 32 ensured Faf du Plessis' side cruised to a six-wicket victory despite losing both openers and Wiaan Mulder cheaply.

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USA wicketkeeper Andries Gous struck the highest ever score in the International League T20 to power Desert Vipers into Sunday's final.

Gous smashed a breathtaking 120 off 58 balls, which included nine sixes and seven fours, as Vipers posted 233-1 against MI Emirates.

Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman hit 69 off 50 balls in an opening stand of 157 with Gous before England all-rounder and Vipers captain Sam Curran crashed an unbeaten 38 off 12 balls.

MI Emirates started well, with England's Tom Banton hitting 63 off 27, but Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq removed him and Sanjay Krishnamurthi in successive deliveries to all-but end chances of a successful run-chase.

Romario Shepherd struck some late blows but MI Emirates fell 45 runs short and face a second qualifier on Friday in their bid to join Vipers in the final.

ILT20 knockout schedule

1 January - Eliminator: Dubai Capitals v Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (14:30 GMT)

2 January - Qualifier 2: MI Emirates v winner of Eliminator (14:30 GMT)

4 January - final: Desert Vipers v winner of Qualifier 2 (14:30 GMT)

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Ashton Turner had to settle for 99 not out while helping his Perth Scorchers side thrash Sydney Sixers by 71 runs in the Big Bash.

Captain Turner, who crashed eight fours and eight sixes in 41 balls, took a single with three balls to go in Scorchers innings, having rescued an effort struggling at 34-3.

Batting partner Ashton Agar was visibly disappointed when he hit the next ball for four, meaning he kept the strike, and when he holed out to the penultimate delivery, Turner was unable to return to the striker's end.

New batter Joel Parris was also caught in the deep and Scorchers finished on 202-8.

Though Turner was denied a first T20 century, the target proved well beyond Thunder.

David Warner made 25, Matthew Gilkes 33 and Sam Konstas 21 but the innings fell away after left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly took two wickets in the 10th over.

The hosts were bowled out for 131 in 17.3 overs.

Scorchers move up to third in the standings after four matches while the hit to Thunder's net run-rate means they drop to the bottom.