Paarl Royals claimed a solid five-wicket victory over Durban's Super Giants in the SA20 on Thursday, despite a rare failure for Joe Root, who was dismissed for a golden duck in the very first over of the chase. Root, who has been in fantastic form throughout the tournament, was dismissed by Chris Woakes in dramatic fashion, but the Royals still managed to chase down the target with ease.

England's star batter Joe Root had been enjoying an exceptional run of form in SA20, accumulating 201 runs in six innings at an average of 50.25, including a best of 92*. However, in the match against Durban's Super Giants, Root was left stunned as he was dismissed for his first golden duck in the tournament.

It happened on the fifth ball of the first over, when Chris Woakes bowled a back-of-a-length delivery outside off. Root, tempted to poke at the ball, only managed to edge it towards slip. Heinrich Klaasen completed a spectacular diving catch to his right, leaving Root visibly disappointed as he walked back without scoring. Despite the early blow, Paarl Royals recovered quickly to clinch the win.

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Batting first, Durban's Super Giants posted a modest total of 142-7 from their 20 overs. Quinton de Kock was the standout performer with the bat, scoring 43 off 30 balls. For the Royals, Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2-23, while Joe Root contributed with the ball by dismissing Kane Williamson and finishing with figures of 4-0-18-1.

In reply, the Paarl Royals made a fast start with Lhuan-dre Pretorius (25 off 13) and Rubin Hermann (44 off 22) finding regular boundaries. Though both were dismissed, leaving the Royals at 77-3, the target of 143 never looked too challenging.

India's legendary wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik came in and guided the Royals home, hitting the winning runs as they sealed the victory with 15 balls to spare.