WHAT’S ON MZANSI SUPER LEAGUE
IN the end, the Tshwane Spartans had nothing to play for by the time their final fixture against the Durban Heat came around yesterday. They had hoped that Paarl Rocks would beat the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, but not so well that they got a bonus point.
The carnage that Cameron Delport wreaked on Wednesday saw those hopes dashed, and the final fixture of the Mzansi Super League round-robin stage was merely a dead rubber. It was between the two most disappointing teams of the tournament, and there was a danger of it all fading into a bit of a farce.
And yet, both the Spartans and the Heat dug into their reserves of pride, and served up a belated treat. It was a beautiful afternoon in Centurion, the type of setting ripe for quality cricket. It was a pity that there was nothing riding on it.
“It was disappointing obviously, because you always want to win every tournament that you are a part of. I think we found it really difficult to get some momentum going as a team,” De Villiers,
pictured, explained. “You needed to win three or four games on the trot, like the Jozi Stars and Cape Town (Blitz) did. We didn’t have that momentum, and they handled the pressure points a bit better than us,” the skipper added.
Eventually, he himself had risen to the occasion on the field, and struck the kind of knock that the Spartans were longing for. His 93 not out off 52 balls was certainly not vintage, but it was delightful enough for 5 000 or so fans.
The result didn’t even matter in the end, because it was a Titan (Albie Morkel) who delivered the final blow for the victorious Heat. De Villiers was handed a life when he was bowled off a no-ball, and he hit the turbo button after that. He took to the pacemen greedily, and had an intriguing battle with Rashid Khan.
“I think all the batters out there will tell you that facing Rashid Khan is quite a handful. You can’t buy that experience, and it is something that will hopefully make them better players in the future,” De Villiers said, pointing to the importance of the competition.
“I am very proud to have been part of this tournament. This is the first one, and I believe it is something that will prove to be great for SA cricket. Especially for our youngsters, because they get that experience of playing under pressure against some quality players.”
De Villiers led a young team, and was based on his home patch. He admitted that he was fortunate to do so, but was open to the reality of moving around South Africa in future tournaments.
“I was lucky to play on my home ground, but we see it in the IPL. Players move around, and that is a great thing for cricket. For youngsters, they go to different cultures, and for some of us, we get to share what knowledge we have with youngsters who are not Titans,” a chipper De Villiers added.
By that token alone, he sounds very committed to 2019 and beyond, because the slot in the calendar allows him to now go away for a while, and spend quality time with his family – before the IPL.
De Villiers, an undisputed international icon, also believes that the next edition of the Mzansi Super League will attract more superstars, which will make for an even better product.
“This is a great foundation for players to step up, and the more internationals we have, the better it is for our cricket and our tournament. There was a great international flavour this year, and I am sure there will be more in the future.” |