Twitter Reactions: Ryan Rickleton's heroics deliver a massive win for the Jozi Stars

Yet another game in the MSL 2018 turned out to be a one-sided contest. After a nerve-wracking game against Tshwane Spartans, the Paarl Rocks were up against the Jozi Stars this time. However, this match was nowhere close to the previous one and the margin of defeat was huge for the franchise from Paarl. They have now sunken down to the bottom of the points table after this failure.

Ryan Rickleton, van der Dussen blow the bowlers apart

In the first innings of the match, the Jozi Stars put up 209 runs on the board in 20 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. After being put into bat first, the openers went bonkers after the bowlers and added 155 runs together in 16.3 overs. Both Ryan Rickleton and Rassie van der Dussen were frugal and relentless with their attack. They scored at a brisk pace and subjected the opposition to extreme pressure.

However, Rickleton missed out on smashing the first century of the MSL. He was dismissed for 91 runs while his partner got out after scoring 78 runs. Further, things only worsened after picking these wickets for the Jozi Stars. Daniel Christian was slotted in at three and he was belligerent with his hitting. His 11-ball 32 helped the home team finish on a high.

Henry Davids and no one else for the Paarl Rocks

In a surprising move, Paarl didn’t have the services of Cameron Delport and Dwayne Bravo as they left for T10 League for this game. Aiden Markram and Tabraiz Shamsi didn’t feature in the playing XI either. This clearly reflected in their performance which was disappointing. The chase was all about skipper Henry Davids. He scored 60 off 36 balls. It was a collapse after he fell with the next highest score being 17. The side was bundled out for 149 runs in 18.4 overs.

Twitterati drew comparisons between Rickleton and Quinton de Kock after watching him bat. Moreover, they were stunned by Rassie van der Dussen’s consistency in T20 leagues around the world. Paarl looked weakened in the absence of their top players which cost big time.

Here is how Twitterati reacted:

Ryan Rickleton is now the highest individual scorer in the @MSL_T20! #MSLT20 #ITWMSL

— ITW Sports (@ITWSports) November 20, 2018

Ryan Rickleton is 22. @StarsJozi have a real gem in him.
I hope lots of talented youngsters shine in the #MSLT20

— C. S. Chiwanza (@CSChiwanza) November 20, 2018

@stars_jozi ok it's official…I'm a fan! Well batted Ryan Rickleton!

— Luc Vicente (@luciano1721) November 20, 2018

Can I just say that I'm a big of Eathan Bosch! Another exciting game in Paarl, they were sloppy in the field though, but the batting on display was impressive, how good was Van der Dussen, Davids and especially Ryan Rickleton!! #MSLT20

— Naeemah (@NaeemahBenjamin) November 20, 2018

Aaron Phangiso
One of the standout moments of the #MSLT20 so far @MSL_T20 @stars_jozi @NMB_Giants pic.twitter.com/5cxiA1nGbG

— Six Sotyelelwa (@_TheSportsJock) November 20, 2018

WATCH: @Ryan__Ricks: ‘KG never got wickets at school he was too good’. Rickelton talks about his time with @KagisoRabada25 at @ststithians. @StarsJozi @MSL_T20 #MSLt20 pic.twitter.com/PvZ35FjXr1

— SA Cricket magazine (@SACricketmag) November 20, 2018

Congratulations to Ryan Rickleton on another top performance @StarsJozi #SaintsExcellence @ststithians #MSLt20 https://t.co/1D6L7NhQ77

— Alistair Stewart (@AlStewart64) November 21, 2018

LOG: @StarsJozi move up to second on the #MSLT20 table while @Paarl_Rocks remain winless after two matches. #MSLT20pic.twitter.com/EFWmdQ3i3V

— Mzansi Super League (@T20Challenge) November 21, 2018

Only thing that sucks is no highlights of a day's #MSLT20 matches 😭😭 impossible to watch every game 😥

— Andrew Abrahams (@Apie_Abrahams) November 20, 2018

Congratulations @StarsJozi on a dominating victory over @Paarl_Rocks. The opening partnership and the spinning duo were delight to watch. #PaarlRocks will be back stronger.
Great show @MSL_T20.#CricChanakya #Cricket #MSLT20 #PRvsJS

— CricChanakya (@cricchanakya) November 20, 2018

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