The first edition of SA20 has hit the headlines, thanks to competitive cricket being witnessed in the tournament. Six teams feature in this inaugural franchise-based T20 tournament held in South Africa, which kick-started on January 10. The month-long extravaganza is expected to be nothing short of many riveting contests between bat and ball. Stars from across the globe have descended to South Africa to play in this mega tournament.
In a recent interview with Betway, former SA skipper and captain of Joburg Super Kings, one of the six teams featuring in the SA20, Faf du Plessis, emphasized the importance of having such leagues as the SA20 in the growth and development of cricketers. A tournament like SA20 in South Africa was long due to the rising popularity of IPL in India and BBL in Australia.
Stressing the significance of having a tournament like SA20, Faf du Plessis says, “I think it’s almost a non-negotiable in today’s cricket. It’s become such an important aspect of today’s T20, and the fact that we have a competition now that will pull all these international stars is tremendous. It allows younger guys to rub shoulders with the best players in the world, fast-track their learning, and make the domestic system stronger.”
The 38-year-old, the oldest among all the captains in SA20, has been a part of Chennai Super Kings in the IPL for over a decade and has a wealth of experience playing franchise-based cricket. He is currently a part of five franchise T20 tournaments. From his experience, he shared that tournaments like these help develop a bigger pool of players who can subsequently represent the country.
At present, the Faf du Plessis-led Joburg Super Kings boast of star players like Moeen Ali and Alzarri Joseph from England, and Maheesh Theekshana from Sri Lanka, to name a few. Faf is excited to work alongside such big names. Talking about some of these players, he avers, “I think Alzarri Joseph, who plays for the West Indies, has got some real raw pace. I’m really excited to see what he can do on South African pitches. It was obviously disappointing to lose Harry Brook, who was a big part of our specialist batting unit. But we’ve got enough talent to cover that.”
When quizzed about the secret to winning a franchise-based tournament, Faf du Plessis did not spill all the beans. However, he stated that tactical elements are very important in T20 cricket. Besides this, getting all the boxes checked when forming a team, considering the playing conditions, and studying the opposition, are paramount.
Loves all things female cricket
