The team of Graeme Smith and Stephen Cook, along with the IPL franchise owners and sponsors such as Betway, who have invested in South African cricket, deserve huge credit for improving the quality of the game in this country. It is estimated that the tournament contributed approximately R1.4 billion to South Africa’s GDP and created a further 8,500 jobs as a direct result of the competition.
Prior to the first edition of the tournament in 2023, many South Africans had lost interest in cricket and were reluctant to attend matches as Cricket South Africa received predominantly negative publicity. There were several instances where stadiums for international matches were half full. When I spoke to friends or family who rarely watched cricket, most of them said that apart from players like Bavuma, Elgar or Rabada, they hardly knew anyone in the national team.
Three years later, domestic stadiums are sold out for almost every match, making it difficult to spot holes in the vast sea of blue, yellow, orange or pink shirts. As a result of the SA20, many of these casual fans not only recognize every Proteas player, but also domestic players who may not yet have been selected for the national team.
Although the Indian national team won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, I believe that the first edition of the IPL in 2008 drastically improved the overall quality of Indian white-ball cricket. Young Indian cricketers came into contact with highly experienced international players at an early age. Virat Kohli has often said that he learned a lot from veteran cricketers like Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis, who were foreign professionals at the time. I have no doubt that our young cricketers will develop much faster as a result of working with experienced international players at their respective franchises.
Since the formation of the SA20, the Proteas men’s team has gone from strength to strength. We reached our first T20 World Cup final in 2024, where we were sadly beaten by India, and more recently we dropped our ‘chokers’ tag by beating Australia in the final of the World Test Championship. In 2022/23 we lost 2-0 in Australia to almost the same team.
The SA20 Schools tournament has also provided young South African cricketers with the opportunity to play highly competitive cricket and potentially be picked up by an SA20 franchise. In the 2026 edition of the tournament, the rules clearly state that each franchise must sign at least two players under the age of 23. A notable example of a young cricketer coming through this system is 19-year-old Nqobani Mokoena from Northwood, who currently has the best economic rate in death overs in the entire tournament. I have no doubt that a direct benefit of the SA20 and the Schools SA20 is the accelerated development of youth in South African cricket.
In addition to giving young players an opportunity, the SA20 and corporate sponsors such as Betway, along with other partners, have secured fan loyalty by consistently prioritizing fan engagement. This is evident from the regular social media activity ahead of matches and the excellent involvement of announcers in the stadium. It was extremely refreshing to see so many young children attending matches and developing a deep-rooted passion for the sport.
Fans on site have also highlighted their enjoyment of the SA20 experience. One fan said: “The SA20 is one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in a while. It definitely attracts a lot of young people. It’s a good platform for them to get started and show what they’re made of. It was such a great event. Everything was fundamentally great.”
Another fan echoed similar sentiments, saying: “I would definitely come back to watch another SA20 game. It was a great atmosphere the entire time. The games were action packed and there was never a dull moment. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my experience so far.”
Personally, I believe that the SA20 has been single-handedly responsible not only for the revival of cricket in South Africa, but also for ensuring that the standard of cricket continues to improve at an incredible pace.
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