Mzansi League has been super

AFTER a month of action around the country, the Mzansi Super League concludes on Sunday at Newlands.

The Cape Town Blitz have secured hometown advantage and await the winner between the Jozi Stars and Paarl Rocks at Wanderers tonight. However, the tournament has been about more than just the on-field performances.

The MSLT20 roller-coaster has been an epic journey in season one. There have been some challenges along the way, particularly with the television broadcast but ultimately it would be fair to say that the tournament has exceeded expectations.

The quality of cricket has been excellent with MSL T20 giving birth to a fresh crop of young cricketers. Nobody had heard of Ryan Rickleton, Janneman Malan, Anrich Nortje and Lutho Sipamla before MSL T20, but now these youngsters are household names.

And here the reach of SABC cannot be discounted.

It has taken the game into the living rooms of the masses and the impact of this decision will be felt for years to come.

There was a lot of concern that the SABC did not have the manpower or the technical ability to cover a tournament of such magnitude, but these fears have proved unfounded. There have been some exciting camera angles and a good combination of wit and insight among the commentary teams.

The international players have also added a great deal of quality and prestige to the tournament.

Although their participation was interrupted due to the T10 League in the United Arab Emirates, there has already been interest shown by many more marquee players for next year’s edition.

Yes, the tournament had to be put together at a very late stage, and obviously it will take more time for more fans to strongly identify with the teams (even though there has been very strong support in Paarl and Cape Town especially). But the tournament will also continue to grow. Lessons would have been learnt and the overall quality will improve going forward.

One thing for certain is that the Mzansi Super League is here to stay!