Hermann, Lawrence set up last-ball thriller as Royals climb to second

Sixties from Rubin Hermann and Dan Lawrence set up Paarl Royals' thrilling six-wicket, last-ball win over Durban's Super Giants, lifting them to second on the points table and leaving DSG's qualification hopes hanging by a thread.

Chasing 187 on a surface that has been tricky throughout the season, Hermann and Lawrence added 106 off just 61 balls for the third wicket to swing the momentum decisively in Royals' favour. The chase ultimately became the highest successful run-chase at the venue.

After David Miller opted to bowl first, DSG were given an early head start by Sunil Narine, who opened the batting and struck 22 off 11 balls before falling to Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Captain Aiden Markram anchored the innings, compiling 66 off 46 balls and shared a 76-run stand for the third wicket with David Bedingham.

Markram fell in the 17th over but DSG finished strongly thanks to Heinrich Klaasen and Liam Livingstone. Klaasen struck 29 off 18 balls while Livingstone provided a late flourish with 32 off only 10 deliveries, lifting DSG to 186/5, the highest total at the venue this season.

Royals lost openers Asa Tribe and Lhuan-dre Pretorius early but Hermann counterattacked, warming up with a towering six off Simon Harmer on the final ball of the powerplay. Alongside Lawrence, he rebuilt steadily against the spinners in the middle overs before targeting Livingstone, taking 19 off the 11th over.

Lawrence brought up his fifty off 33 balls and raised the 100-run stand with a six off Ethan Bosch before falling soon after, caught at point while chasing a short and wide one. Miller followed him back to the pavilion cheaply, caught on the boundary against Narine, leaving Royals needing 45 off the final five overs.

Sikandar Raza then played a decisive hand, scoring an unbeaten 27 off 13 balls to keep the chase on track. With six required off the final over bowled by Wiese, Raza sealed the contest in dramatic fashion by striking a six off the last ball to clinch victory.

Brief Scores: Durban's Super Giants 186/5 (Markram 66, Mujeeb 2-22) lost to Paarl Royals 191/4 (R Hermann 65*, Lawrence 63, Bosch 2-29) by six wickets.