Cricket circus gets ball rolling
ON YOUR MARKS: TSHWANE SPARTANS, CAPE TOWN BLITZ GET BALL ROLLING
Ken Borland
The Mzansi Super League finally gets off the ground today and much of the tone of the tournament is going to be set by the first two games at Newlands and the Wanderers.
AB de Villiers and his Tshwane Spartans kick off the T20 tournament as they take on the Cape Town Blitz, and there is no doubting how important AB’s performances are going to be when it comes to making sure this fledgling event takes off.
De Villiers going to a 72-ball hundred while the Spartans score 210/4, and the Blitz making 202 will ensure the MSL will be branded in the consciousness of the cricket-loving public.
South Africa’s other internationally-renowned stadium, the Wanderers, then hosts the Jozi Stars against the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants tomorrow and a powerful home batting line-up featuring Chris Gayle, Rassie van der Dussen, Pite van Biljon and Dane Vilas will also be hoping to put up a big score.
The circus then moves to Durban and Paarl on Sunday, with the Cape Town Blitz back on the field against the Durban Heat and the Tshwane Spartans taking on the Paarl Rocks.
So all six teams will be in action on the first three days, and those matches should tell us a lot about how successful this costly venture will be.
The sides will be without many of their overseas stars for the first week as the Proteas are in Australia, so the local domestic stars get their chance to shine.
Cricket South Africa have been trying to market the tournament as exposing new talent, but it is hard to see too many fringe players suddenly becoming stars, simply because there won’t be that much opportunity.
But on the opening weekend, a Tony de Zorzi or a Gihahn Cloete could make a name for themselves alongside De Villiers for the Spartans, while Anrich Nortje is a fast bowler who can bring the blitz to the Cape Town side.
Calvin Savage is a lesser-known talent who could emerge as a bowling all-rounder for the Jozi Stars, while Rudi Second and Sisanda Magala have both played for SA A and will want to push their credentials for higher honours by dominating for the NMB Giants.
Look out for Sarel Erwee opening the batting for the Durban Heat and Paarl Rocks all-rounders Grant Thomson and Bjorn Fortuin don’t always get the exposure their talents deserve.
All six teams have named their captains, but the Cape Town Blitz and Paarl Rocks are the only sides who will be without their leaders for the opening weekend. Farhaan Behardien is with the Proteas in Australia, but Dawid Malan, their marquee overseas player, is likely to be the Blitz skipper, while Henry Davids will stand in for national captain Faf du Plessis in Paarl.
The NMB Giants have gone for their local captain in Jon-Jon Smuts, while Vilas (Jozi Stars), Behardien and De Villiers all have strong connections to their citybased teams.