Pretoria Capitals captain Wayne Parnell wants his team to “go have fun and entertain” in the inaugural Betway SA20 Final against Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the Wanderers on Saturday.
Parnell’s message to his Capitals team encapsulates everything the Betway SA20 has been in its maiden season with the South African cricket-loving public flocking back to all six stadiums around the country en masse.
The Wanderers in Johannesburg – iconic venue of the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2007 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and the 2009 Indian Premier League finals – will once again be filled to capacity on Saturday when hosting these two fantastic teams.
Parnell’s presence in the Capitals starting XI may still be in doubt due his lingering Grade 1 groin injury, but the skipper has full confidence in the rest of his squad to get the job done.
“For us it’s about having fun, entertaining people, being brave, because ultimately finals can either go one way, where it brings out the best in people, but it can also paralyse people as well. I think we want to be the side that puts our best foot forward,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sunrisers Eastern Cape skipper Aiden Markram, who struck a majestic 100 in the semi-final to help his team progress to the showpiece, fully believes the strength of character of his squad will get them over the line, particularly with former Protea and current Netherlands international Roelof van der Merwe as their talisman.
“He (van der Merwe) is a great guy to be around, we all know him for the strong character that he is, and it’s infectious that sort of energy that he gives off. After losing our first two games, we felt that we probably were going to need some strong characters to turn things around and you don’t get stronger characters around than Roelof van der Merwe,” Markram said.
“If you look on paper, there wouldn’t have been many people who would have given us much of a chance heading into the competition. Credit must go to the guys in the squad, who will do almost anything to win, and we’ve been lucky to have those types of characters in our squad.”
The Betway SA20 Final is set to add its name to the list of premier entertainment events on the South Africa social calendar with the high-quality cricket set to be fused with some of the best entertainers in the country.
Grammy award winner Zakes Bantwini and Nana Atta will deliver the closing performance along with plenty of in-stadium activations that will include the stilt walkers, balloon artists, face painters, a 360-degree camera station, brass bands and plenty more.
A reserve day has been scheduled for Sunday if the weather does force the Final to be washed out on Saturday.
About Betway SA20
Betway SA20 is a six-team franchise T20 League operating under the auspices of Cricket South Africa. Cricket South Africa is the governing body of all cricket in South Africa.
Notes
Video and audio featuring PC’s Wayne Parnell and SEC’s Aiden Markram can be downloaded for editorial use here: https://we.tl/t-aUkZFOrzsP.
Upcoming Fixtures
Final
11 February
Pretoria Capitals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Wanderers
16h30
Images for all matches available for free download on www.sportzpics.co.za
Tickets are available at www.ticketpros.co.za
Name of Author: SA20 League
SA20, officially known as the Betway SA20 for sponsorship reasons, is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA). First held in the 2023 season, the league features six city-based teams. Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the first two editions of the tournament.
