Paarl Rocks 166 for 7 (Vince 37, Tahir 2-19) beat Nelson Mandela Bay Giants 135 all out (Dunk 45, Viljoen 2-22, Shamsi 2-24, Adams 2-27, Fortuin 2-28) by 31 runs

It took a team performance, in the truest sense of the phrase, for Paarl Rocks to beat Nelson Mandela Bay Giants and go top of the points table in the Mzansi Super League. With the bat, Rocks' highest scorer made only 37. With the ball, each of their bowlers took two wickets. The result was a comfortable 31-run win to silence the home crowd.

Giants had done well with the ball to restrict Rocks to 166 for 7 with four wickets in four consecutive overs at the death to avoid what could've been a bigger total. But barring Ben Dunk, none of their batsmen made use of their starts, and they fell prey to the spin attack of Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin under the lights to fold for 135 all out.

Spin rocks Rocks early

Asked to bat, Rocks began slowly after Beuran Hendricks delivered two tight overs, but openers Henry Davids and Cameron Delport shellacked Chris Morris and Junior Dala for plenty from the other end. Dala's first over went for 19 as Delport struck a hat-trick of boundaries to end the fourth.

Giants captain Jon-Jon Smuts then brought in Imran Tahir, and he struck within three balls when Delport struck a flat shot to Jason Roy at mid-off. Faf du Plessis, who has had a lukewarm season, then got off the mark by ramping Morris for four over fine leg and followed it up by a six over long on.

Tahir and left-arm spinner Smuts then bowled two tidy overs as Paarl crept to 70 for 1 after nine overs, but a two-wicket over in the tenth over appeared to turn the tide in Giants' favour. Off the first ball of Smuts' second over, Davids holed out to long on and five balls later, a miscommunication between the new man James Vince and du Plessis saw the latter depart for 27.

Rocks finish strong

The run-out may have played a part in Vince taking on the anchor's role thereafter in the second half of the first innings. He found a boundary off the next three overs to take Rocks past three figures in the company of Sibonelo Makhanya. Then four wickets in four overs - including that of Vince for 37 and the hard-hitting Isuru Udana - appeared to swing the innings in Giants' favour but lower-order batsman Ferisco Adams struck 23 in 12 balls at the back end to lift Rocks to a respectable 166 for 7.

Bravery favours Fortuin

Left-arm offspinner Fortuin was handed the new ball in the second innings, and a full drifting delivery saw him send back Jason Roy for a duck. The England opener was bowled trying to press forward.

Smuts and Matthew Breetzke then kept the score ticking with boundaries off Adams' medium pace, but first-change bowler Hardus Viljoen broke the partnership in the fifth over by knocking over the Giants captain. Smuts was timing the ball well, but found Vince at midwicket while trying to flick one.

No. 4 Dunk didn't let the intensity drop, however, by slogging Shamsi for six, but Breetzke couldn't get the same result when he tried the same in the following over. Coming down the wicket to Fortuin, he mistimed a shot to du Plessis at long on, out for 22. Although Dunk then tonked Fortuin for a six in the final over of his spell, he finished with 2 for 28 in four overs. When Fortuin's spell ended, Giants required 9.88 overs in the final nine overs with seven wickets in hand.

Bizarre Dunk dismissal ends Giants' hopes

While left-handed batsman Dunk was in the middle, the home crowd had hope. But from the other end, he saw Heino Kuhn and Marco Marais falling cheaply to Shamsi. With No. 7 Morris, he struck a few boundaries off the pacers, but the run-rate was always rising. Two balls after Morris' dismissal to a yorker from Adams, Dunk was adjudged hit wicket after replays showed that his heel had knocked the bails off. At that stage, Giants needed 49 in 17 balls with only the tail to follow, and the result was only imment. More wickets tumbled, and Rocks won the game comfortably, but victory could've been sweeter had then earned a bonus-point win. For that, they needed to restrict Giants to 132, three less than their final total.