Cape Town - Former Proteas captain Faf du Plessis believes the Betway SA20 could make South Africans “feel optimistic about the game again in this country”.
Du Plessis was one of the six team captains that were present at the unveiling of the unique SA20 trophy on Saturday. The 38-year-old is set to lead the Joburg Super Kings in the inaugural competition.
The former Proteas skipper was part of two successful Proteas Test series victories in Australia, and in particular the last series Down Under when he led the visitors to a memorable 2-1 series win in 2016. He remains the only Proteas captain to win Test series against Australia both home and abroad.
Unfortunately Du Plessis, along with the rest of the country’s cricket supporters, have been forced to endure a nightmare current tour where the Proteas have returned to the doldrums of 2001 when they last suffered a 3-0 whitewash in Australia.
Dean Elgar’s Class of 2023 have already surrendered the current series after going down 2-0 in Melbourne last week, and were precariously placed on 149/6 in response to Australia’s 475/4 at stumps on the fourth day of the third and final Test in Sydney.
Furthermore, there has been a general malaise related to the Proteas men’s team in recent months after the shock defeat to the Netherlands that led to their exit at the T20 World Cup.
“I think, from the fans’ perspective, cricket is such a followed game in this country, but it is about getting people to watch the game,” Du Plessis said.
“People may feel like it's a dark time right now, but things can change so quickly. This competition will make South Africans feel optimistic about the game again in this country.”
Du Plessis has not officially retired from international cricket, but has been a regular on the T20 franchise circuit for the past two years where he has played in the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League and The Hundred.
He also only returned on Friday from Australia where he had a successful stint with the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash.
During this period he has gained vast experience from being exposed to different coaches and players where he has been able to share ideas and strategies.
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Du Plessis believes the SA20 is therefore critical to the growth of the game in South Africa because local domestic players will now be exposed to a higher level of professionalism.
“We need this competition for the game to grow in South Africa. There is no doubt adding world class players like Rashid Khan, and so many more, will benefit South Africa cricket as a whole,” he said.
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“Our whole system is going to learn a lot, and what needs to improve in terms of the standards in our country. I think we will only benefit from it. The local players will learn so much from this tournament.”
The tournament is set to get underway at Newlands on Tuesday when MI Cape Town host against neighbours Paarl Royals. Du Plessis’ Joburg Super Kings will be in action the following day when they travel to Kingsmead to face Durban’s Super Giants.
IOL Sport