Local players outshine the rest as SA20 sparks sugar rush
Basking in the afterglow of success is too often frowned upon, whatever the field of endeavour. What is the point of striving for achievement if a goal reached is not to be celebrated?
Naturally, there is a suitable and appropriate length of time for indulgence before the next challenge, but it would be wrong for the masterminds and labourers behind the SA20 not to cherish the results of their hard work for the past 12 months. The tournament was an outstanding success.
The old “second season truth” adage has applied to individual cricketers for many decades, but more so in the modern age of video analysis and technique scrutiny. It’s all well and good for youngsters to make a splash in their first season when no-one knows their strengths and weaknesses, but can they do it again when their cards have been displayed?
The SA20 debut season last year was described by several sceptical viewers from abroad as a “sugar rush”. It was hardly unprecedented. But could it be sustained? The answer was an emphatic “yes”. For all the success of the marketing, ticketing, promotions and the critical partnership with SuperSport, the major reason for the repeat success was the players. Local players.
Several of the best should have been in New Zealand playing in the World Test Championship, but that’ sa different subject. The decision to keep them at home may have done irreparable damage to the country’s Test reputation, but it no doubt enhanced the status of the SA20, which was the point.
As nice as it was to have a smattering of Englishmen and Australians — and a few others
— among the squads, none made a material difference to the outcome or, it’s fair to say, put more bums on seats. Jos Buttler was the world’s best white ball batter when the Paarl Royals signed him for half-amillion dollars, and he committed every sinew of his skill to the cause, but to no avail.
It was fascinating to see how many players from the SA20 were already playing in other leagues before the tournament was concluded. The Pretoria Capitals opening batters, Phil Salt and Will Jacks, were playing for the Desert Vipers and Comilla Victorians in Dubai and Bangladesh, respectively, within a day or two of their teams’ elimination from the SA20.
BOOM TIME
MI Cape Town’s Sam Curran, a Desert Viper too, was also in action in the ILT20 moments after his team’s ignominious exit. The travel logistics have to be admired, even if the players do enjoy VIP privileges. Reeza Hendricks made a half-century for the Chattogram Challengers against the Rangpur Raiders shortly after arriving in Bangladesh, while Keshav Maharaj is due to arrive in Chattogram on Tuesday evening before representing Fortune Barishal 20 hours later.
Whatever the long-term credibility consequences for these tournaments, the players are in boom time. And good for them. They are going to extraordinary lengths to cash in while they can, including a necessary indifference to the team they are representing and what, if anything, they represent. England’s legspinner, Adil Rashid, and allrounder Chris Jordan have both represented seven franchise teams in a calendar year.
“It’s too much,” admitted Rashid last year. “You can’t remember the colour of the kit you’re playing in, or what team you’re in, but that’s the nature of the game at the moment.”
There was a (sadly short) period soon after the initial explosion of the internet when freelance writers and journalists were in great demand to create content for websites that were viewed by their creators as a simple way to make money.
They learnt quickly there is no easy way to make a buck and the payments stopped. We would have written for anyone, and mostly did. The boom years lasted for about six months. The websites learnt that committed, in-house writers were a better* investment than occasional articles from “big name” writers and the world settled down again. Let’s see how long it takes T20 leagues to catch on.
Meanwhile, there is action in the alternative real world of bilateral international cricket: “The imbalance of the current FTP [future tours programme] unfairly affects some nations by restricting where valuable content can be played in calendar windows. From the commencement of the next cycle in 2028, it would be preferable for a more equitable split of matches to provide a more balanced opportunity for nations to access key dates and opposition,” said World Cricket Committee chair Kumar Sangakkara.
“It’s time for courageous leadership and a united vision for the global game. While the opportunities for cricket are enormous, the challenges are equally great and there must be a stronger sense of collegiality among full members and all stakeholders for cricket to thrive,” Sangakkara said.
He is also the global director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals, including the Paarl branch.