South African cricket is currently in a state where it’s pinch me, wake up, everybody’s dreaming territory.
After an administrative malaise which inadvertently led to the South African men’s team, in particular, stumbling for a few years, the Rainbow Nation is now up and running again.
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The women’s team kickstarted the revolution by shattering the glass ceiling of reaching a first-ever ICC T20 Women’s World Cup final. They repeated the act the very next year in the UAE.
Not to be outdone, the men’s team followed suit by progressing to their maiden ICC T20 World Cup final in Barbados last year and now, the Test side have topped the World Test Championship table to earn a spot at the main dining table at Lord’s in June.
All of these achievements over the past two years coincided with the launch of the SA20 – the domestic T20 competition that has been an astounding success on the field whilst providing a much-needed financial boost to Cricket South Africa’s balance sheet.
The third instalment is set to get underway in Gqeberha on Thursday when back-to-back champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape host MI Cape Town at St George’s Park with the excitement reaching an all-time in South Africa.
“I think from the beginning we were open and honest about bridging the gap between domestic cricket and international standards. To have six franchises that are competitive and bring out top support teams and then the players are also playing with and against the best players in the world,” SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith said.
“Then you add crowds and production… I remember season 1 where so many young players hadn’t experienced such television productions before. Hopefully that will start developing more players pushing for places within the Proteas.”
Smith feels that SA20 is ready to take the game in South Africa to even greater heights in Season 3.
“Two seasons in I feel we are now an established product. We’re probably the biggest league outside of the IPL. Being able to attract the six franchises that we have, they very professional, very competitive,” the former Proteas captain said.
“We’ve had quality local and international players. The squads look even stronger in Season 3. You look across the squads and you can so see many matchups.
“Every year the cricket is getting better and seeing the progression of players is key to me. From a fan perspective, we are investing heavily again. There is something for everyone from the kids to adults who want to enjoy a really good experience inside the stadium,” he added.
The season opener will feature a blockbuster face-off between the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town.
It is, of course, a rematch for two skippers Aiden Markram (Sunrisers) and Rashid Khan (MI Cape Town) after they last went head-to-head in the ICC T20 World Cup semi-final in Tarouba, Trinidad.
This is but one of the subplots to look forward to over the month-long competition that will no doubt captivate audiences both in South African and abroad.
