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For any individual or a team, it certainly would feel great to finish first after coming last the previous two times. Wouldn’t it?
Well, MI Cape Town experienced precisely this emotion as they conquered the Sunrisers Eastern Cape with much valour last evening amid a packed Wanderers stadium dazzling in a sea of orange and blue.
This after the team from Gqeberha had won the first two seasons of the SA20 with soaring confidence under the dynamic and astute leadership of South Africa’s T20 captain, Aiden Markram.
And the team from Cape Town were languishing at the bottom, twice!
With this being said, in this season the tables turned and that too rather vehemently for the team from the Table Mountain city as Rashid Khan and his chargers dominated the league stages, won the crucial qualifier and rose to become champions, adding another feather to the already successful Mumbai Indians franchise.
The blue brigade undoubtedly lit up the SA20 which pulled in higher in stadia crowds, more television viewers not only in South Africa but the entire world in its third season, making this league perhaps only second to the IPL in its fame, performance and the razzmatazz to go with it.
Coming back to the game at hand, MI’s victory last evening by a massive 76 runs was courtesy some stand out performances by the dynamic southpaw in Ryan Rickelton, the swash buckling youngster in Dewald Brevis and perhaps the biggest icon currently in South African cricket, Kagiso Rabada.
The trio in all honesty were at another level with Rickeltongiving MI a whopping start soaring to more than 50 in just five overs as he hammered the ball to all parts of the ground in his 33 of just 15 balls with Rassie van der Dussen as always lending pivotal support.
Ryan was also ably complemented by young Brevis who perhaps has made the middle order of this rather exciting batting line up much his own with another crucial 38 of just 18 balls with a colossal four maximums.
As a result, his overall runs tally mounted to a mouth-watering 291 runs at a magnanimous strike rate of 184.17, the highest for any batter in the league. Perhaps a consideration for the Protea Green and Gold in the future?
When it came to their bowling, MI’s South African icon, KG Rabada had to be their knight in shinning armour as he picked up four crucial wickets when it mattered the most dismissing the much-accomplished David Bedingham and the all-rounder par excellence, Marco Jansen in the bargain.
Their overall showing in the league was worth every praise with openers Ryan and Rassie giving those fast yet steady starts in practically every game and veterans, the likes of Trent Boult and Rashid Khan weaving their magic apart from Rabada of course.
Having had enough game time in the last one month, the likes of Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen and others would now be eager to exhibit their form for their nation as the Champions Trophy looms.
The only success South Africa has had in any ICC event and perhaps the aforementioned superstars would be more than eager to replicate the accomplishment of Hanise Cronje’s team in 1998.
In time, we will surely witness this, but for now, South Africa, and especially Commissioner Graeme Smith, deserve congratulations for delivering another successful edition of the SA20. Truth be told, the tournament not only stands as a source of pride for Mzansi in world cricket but also plays a key role in developing a wealth of talent, significantly enhancing South Africa’s domestic cricket scene.
A true blessing for the Proteas if one were to ask. May the SA20 continue to grow from strength to strength!
