Ken Borland

T20 franchise cricket has changed the life of more than one cricketer and the IPL, who held their mega auction at the start of the week, has done that more than most. But Betway SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith wants South Africa’s franchise T20 tournament to do that and revitalise the game in the country he captained with such distinction.

The Indian Premier League is obviously the benchmark all other leagues aspire to, and their auction saw record prices being paid for the next tournament being held from March 14 next year, with the 10 franchises spending more than £60 million overall.

Smith wants the SA20 to continue growing in stature such that it is considered to be part of the top group of T20 tournaments, and the fact that so many South Africans and overseas players who feature in the SA20 are being picked up by the IPL as well, bodes well for the stature of the January/February competition.

Proteas stars Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen (the most expensive overseas player), Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee, David Miller, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis and Lungi Ngidi have all been signed up by the IPL, as well as lesser-known players like Lizaad Williams, Kwena Maphaka, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs, who have shone in the SA20 and thereby attracted the attention of the Indian franchise owners who all have teams in the IPL too.

Amongst the highest-paid overseas stars who were bought at the IPL auction are players like Josh Buttler, Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan, who have all featured regularly in the SA20.

“From an SA20 perspective, it’s lovely to see the platform provided by our tournament to these players and there are a significant number of South African players in the top money-earners list,” Smith told sportsboom.com in an exclusive interview at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Monday.

“Last year we produced the most players going to the IPL of all the overseas countries, and that shows the growth of our franchise cricket. And that includes a few youngsters, those are the good stories of people’s lives being changed, like Kwena Maphaka going to Rajasthan Royals for £142 000.

“So the exposure from the SA20 is very important but we also hope that the tournament keeps the Proteas strong. They haven’t had a great period in T20 cricket since making the World Cup final, but the IPL auction and the SA20 tournament show that there is still some incredible talent there.

“There is a lot of franchise cricket played around the world and we want to elevate SA20 so that it is one of the No.1 picks. There is like a Tier One of these T20 franchise tournaments and we certainly want to be up there. I think we are establishing ourselves as one of the Tier One events.

“The feedback from the overseas players has been incredible. They love coming to South Africa because of the crowds, they say the tournament is well-run and, most importantly, they say it provides extremely competitive cricket. Two years into the event, there is much higher confidence that we can pull it off and we hope it just keeps developing,” Smith said.

Smith has high hopes that the SA20 will also keep developing South African domestic talent into world-beating international stars. Never mind being able to get them on the phone, the likes of Tristan Luus, an SA U19 all-rounder, can sit in the Mumbai Indians changeroom and chat face-to-face with Ben Stokes about the game. Likewise, Breetzke, who has just set off on his international career, will be chewing the ear off of fellow top-order batsman Kane Williamson in the Durban Super Giants locker-room.

“With our rookie draft and our introduction of the SA20 Schools competition, we’re going to expose a lot of youngsters. Plus the franchises are unbelievable when it comes to their attention to their pipeline and talent. They bring great expertise in terms of the support staff.

“Maybe before SA20, our players were not developing in the right way, they were becoming fully professional late in the day and you were still trying to educate them at national team level. But playing against the best shows you where you need to improve and what it takes to play at that level. They can sit and chat with a Ben Stokes or a Kane Williamson, and you’ll have international physios telling them that these are the levels they need to reach physically,” Smith said.

The bottom line is always commercial, however, and the SA20 continues to be the second-biggest money-spinner for CSA after the Proteas men. That has enabled things like the SA20 Schools competition, an annual camp for U19 girls and an umpire exchange with The Hundred in England, to be introduced.

There was more good news for the SA20 on the commercial front on Monday as they announced a new partnership with DP World, the global smart logistics and supply chain company.

The DP World Lions men’s team dismissed World Sports Betting Western Province for 191 on the final day to seal an outstanding 125-run victory over their old rivals in their CSA 4-Day Series match in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Western Province had been set a target of 317 for victory and resumed on the fourth morning on 88 for three. Fast bowlers Tshepo Moreki and Codi Yusuf each took a wicket in their first overs of the day as the visitors suddenly found themselves 92 for five.

The DP World Lions had to work their way through some lower-order resistance from Western Province as George Linde and Mihlali Mpongwana (25) added 47 for the sixth wicket and Linde and Onke Nyaku (33) then put on 49 for the seventh wicket.

At 188 for six 40 minutes after lunch, #ThePrideOfJozi would have started to feel some concern with 129 needed for victory, but Moreki made the key breakthrough when he produced a snorter of a delivery to have Linde (29) fending a catch to gully.

Lutho Sipamla, who had earlier dismissed Mpongwana caught in the slips, then wrapped up the innings with three wickets in an over. The Proteas seamer jagged a delivery back into Nyaku to send his leg-stump tumbling, Mthiwekhaya Nabe (0) was then caught behind by wicketkeeper Connor Esterhuizen, and Jody Lawrence (0) fell to a magnificent, diving one-handed catch at gully by Josh Richards.

That left Sipamla with impressive figures of four for 51 in 15 overs, while the admirable Moreki finished with four for 44 in 19 overs.

The comprehensive victory by #ThePrideOfJozi, their second in a row at the DP World Wanderers Stadium, came despite being bowled out for a low score in their second innings.

The DP World Lions top-order was blown away on the third morning as they staggered to 45 for eight at lunch. That they eventually reached 121 all out was thanks to Delano Potgieter, whose 54 mirrored his matchwinning efforts against Western Province in last season’s CSA 4-Day Series final, and someone in the lower-order once again digging in to provide crucial support.

On this occasion it was Moreki, who batted for more than two hours in scoring 23 and adding 77 for the ninth wicket.

The DP World Lions were still able to set a daunting second-innings target thanks to the considerable lead of 195 they had on first innings.

Yusuf rent the Western Province middle and lower-order asunder as his fabulous five for 71 in 18.5 overs saw them bowled out for just 208 in their first innings. Moreki and Sipamla chipped in with a couple of wickets each.

The DP World Lions had batted impressively in their first innings, having won the toss and elected to bat first.

It was a grind on the first morning as captain Dominic Hendricks and Mo Manack reached 60 for one in 27 overs at lunch, but there was a change of gears after the break, with Manack (64) and Zubayr Hamza (77) both stroking fluent half-centuries.

The DP Wold Lions were in a powerful position on 268 for three at the end of the first day, and the ever-present Hendricks soldiered on to an epic, magnificent 161 not out. The left-hander batted for over nine hours and faced 370 deliveries in a defiant innings that laid the platform for the Pride’s victory. While he largely stayed in his bubble, Hendricks pounced on the loose ball and he also struck 21 fours and was particularly good on the cut and driving down the ground.

Bjorn Fortuin struck a quickfire 38 not out before the DP World Lons declared at the lunch break on the second day.

The commanding victory, and a haul of 23.46 bonus points, means #ThePrideOfJozi are the new log-leaders and they will be looking to build on their lead in their next game, which is also back at the DP World Wanderers Stadium, against the Dafabet Warriors from Eastern Province from Thursday.

The DP World Lions ladies team upset the existing order of things in the HollywoodBets Pro50 Series in Johannesburg at the weekend, hammering the previously-unbeaten Western Province side with a bonus point to replace them in second place on the log.

Western Province had won the toss and sent the DP World Lions in to bat, picking up the important wickets of Proteas Tazmin Brits (14) and Sinalo Jafta (9) in the first 10 overs.

The tenacity of opener Nonkhululeko Thabethe (27) took her through to 20 overs, but when she fell, #ThePrideOfJozi were 73 for four.

But the experience of Sunette Viljoen-Louw, now batting in the middle-order, is an obvious strength of the DP World Lions, and the fightback began when she came to the crease.

The 41-year-old former Olympic silver medallist and Proteas player formed superb partnerships with the lower-order as the DP World Lions posted a most competitive 272 for nine in their 50 overs.

Karabo Meso, just 17 years old, scored 28 as she added 54 for the fifth wicket with Viljoen-Louw. The in-form Jenna Evans then scored a brisk 27 in a partnership of 79 for the sixth wicket, and Fay Cowling stroked the ball all around the DP World Wanderers Stadium in her 29 off just 19 deliveries, as she and Viljoen put on 34 for the seventh wicket.

Coming off a hugely successful season in British club cricket, Viljoen-Louw was out in the final over for a memorable 93 off 94 balls, with 11 elegant fours and a mighty six.

Western Province began their chase in ferocious fashion, with former Proteas captain Dane’ van Niekerk taking them to 94 for two after 13 overs.

But like the Empire in Star Wars, once the DP World Lions found the chinks to weaken them, their collapse was brutal.

Cowling removed opener Babette de Leede after she had bashed two boundaries in three balls, and then the lanky seamer returned in the 14^th over to have Van Nierkerk superbly caught by Meso, diving at point.

DP World Lions captain Kgomotso Rapoo then produced a marvellous spell of mesmerising spin bowling to run through the rest of the Western Province batting, taking five for 44 in eight overs as the visitors were bowled out for 184 in just 27-and-a-half overs.

Following their 88-run win in the Pro50 match, the DP World Lions conceded a mighty 198 for four in the T20 game.

Spinner Evans was the most impressive of the bowlers with two for 33 in her four overs.

Faced with such a big score, the DP World Lions did not produce their best with the bat, eventually being restricted to 142 for nine in their 20 overs, losing by 56 runs.

That was despite the marvellous start given to them by Viljoen-Louw (29 off 25) and Brits (40 off 25).

Our DP World Lions produced inspired cricket in the second half of their CSA 4-Day Series opener as they swept away the Momentum Multiply Titans by 153 runs at the DP World Wanderers Stadium.

In an enthralling match in which the momentum swung to and fro, #ThePrideOfJozi were in serious trouble on the third day when they slumped to four for four in the second innings, leading by just 18 runs.

Zubayr Hamza was the only batsman to survive the blitz in the top-order, and he backed up his 84 in the first innings with a determined 68 that at least restored the DP World Lions innings to an even keel.

It took a superb delivery from former DP World Lions spinner Tsepo Ndwandwa that turned past his defensive shot and hit the top of off-stump, to dismiss him.

Connor Esterhuizen hung around for 45 minutes as he added 37 with Hamza, but when Delano Potgieter was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the back of the head by a bouncer, the DP World Lions were 56 for five.

But then in came Bjorn Fortuin, always so good in a crisis. The 30-year-old all-rounder showed great fight as he played clever cricket to rapidly push back the Titans surge.

His tenacious innings included 16 fours and two sixes and he was vicious on anything short as well as being willing and able to hit down the ground or through and over the covers.

Fortuin finished with 116 off just 95 balls, a sensational innings that turned the match around in favour of our Pride.

There was also stout resistance from fast bowlers Codi Yusuf (24) and Tshepo Moreki (22*), while Potgieter returned to the fray and scored 40.

The DP World Lions were able to declare on the fourth morning, on 295 for nine, setting the Titans a target of 310 for victory.

Potgieter and Yusuf then opened the door for victory as they removed both Titans openers for ducks.

Yusuf then had the dangerous Dewald Brevis caught behind for just six, and #ThePrideOfJozi bowlers were sweeping through the Titans like a wildfire.

Fortuin then entered the attack and turned up the heat so the visitors were like meat on a hot braai. The left-arm spinner removed set batsmen Jhedli van Briesies (37) and Keegan Petersen (27), the Proteas Test player being caught behind off a beautiful delivery.

Yusuf returned to claim two more wickets and finished with excellent figures of four for 36 in 13 overs as the Titans were bowled out for just 156.

Fortuin claimed the last wicket to fall as he took three for 50 in 15.5 overs.

The DP World Lions were in charge of affairs midway through the second day as they reduced the Titans to 132 for six in reply to the Pride’s first innings of 316.

Bowling in the right area saw Lutho Sipamla and Moreki undo a solid start by the visitors as they took two wickets apiece.

But the final session of the second day belonged to Andile Phehlukwayo and Corbin Bosch as they both scored unbeaten half-centuries to take the Titans to 239 for six at stumps.

They extended that score to 302 on the third morning, with Phehlukwayo scoring 88 and Bosch 59.

Sipamla took two more wickets to finish with four for 83 in 21 overs, while Moreki took three for 36 in 17 probing overs.

The DP World Lions had won the toss and decided to bat first on the overcast first day, with captain Dominic Hendricks (67) and Hamza (84) defying the elements and the Titans bowlers as they added 118 for the second wicket.

But from 155 for one, the DP World Lions slipped to 194 for five, before Esterhuizen (45) and Yusuf (44) were able to negate the bowlers and lift the home team to a decent 316 all out.