MI Cape Town was crowned champions of season 3 of the Betway SA20 with a comfortable 76 run win over Sunrisers Eastern Cape at a packed Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday, 08 February.
MI Cape Town won the toss and elected to bat first, posting 181 for eight. In response, the team that ended at the bottom of the table in the previous two editions, bowled the two time champions out for 105 in 18.4 overs. Kagiso Rabada picked up four for 25 while man of the match Trent Boult took four for nine and left arm orthodox spinner George Linde chipped in with two for 20.
Paarl Royals 18 year - old opening batsman Lhuan-dre Pretorius was named as the batter of the season after scoring 397 runs in his debut season while Marco Jansen was named the bowler of the season with 19 wickets.
Speaking to Telecom Asia Sport, former Proteas batsman Ashwell Prince said that he was excited to see the quality of cricket being played at the Betway SA20 and a player like Pretorius is a player for the future.
I’ve been really impressed you know. From the crowd’s point of view and the general interest from the public, everybody getting behind their domestic teams or their local teams supporting them. Obviously from a coaches’ perspective and being in the system, it’s been very exciting to see the quality of cricket as well.
From a young player’s point of view, obviously Lhuan-dre Pretorius has been outstanding for the Royals but obviously guys who are in the national team or the national system like Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen and Marco Jansen have been outstanding and really leading from the front as far as their teams are concerned.
The former veteran of 66 test matches, 52 one day internationals and one T20 international says that a tournament like this will help players like Rickelton establish themselves in the Proteas set-up.
Rickelton’s been outstanding. People might say he plays for the Proteas but he’s only been in the set-up for a little while. We talking about him being established, not quite yet but after this season, what he did in the test matches, couple of centuries there, 250 here at Newlands and then his SA20 form, so he might in the next 12, 18 months just cement his place in the Proteas line-up which is always a good thing for a player because sometimes when you in the fringes you don’t quite know where you stand.
According to Prince, South African cricket has flown through the roof with the advent of SA20.
South African cricket has just flown through the roof with the advent of SA20. Everything else has picked up. The test match team has picked up. The women’s teams have been flying in T20 and ODI cricket, the U19 teams have both been in finals , unfortunately the ladies have lost in the final to India but there’s a lot to be positive about South African cricket as a whole.
As the sun set on another successful Betway SA20 season, South African fans will be hoping that the national men’s team will take that momentum to the ICC Champion’s Trophy which gets underway on 19 February.
Full Betway SA20 season awards list:
- DP World Dispatch of the Season: Donovan Ferreira (Joburg Super Kings)
- Absa Card Catch of the Season: Dewald Brevis (MI Cape Town)
- Batter of the Season: Luhan-dre Pretorius (Paarl Royals)
- Bowler of the Season - Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
- Betway Player of the Season - Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
- Spirit of Cricket- MI Cape Town
- Rising Star - Dewald Brevis (MI Cape Town)
Bj Sports Live