Photo Credit: SA20 League
The Betway SA20’s overall value to South African cricket cannot be understated.
It is not only a platform to showcase the best cricketers in the country, along with a host of international superstars, but is a major development tool for young domestic cricketers.
The introduction of the new rookie – players aged under-22 that have yet to play in the Betway SA20 – for Season 2, which commences on January 10 2024, will only elevate the tournament further.
A host of young guns, including the likes of Joburg Super Kings fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, MI Cape Town top-order batter Dewald Brevis, Durban’s Super Giants’ Matthew Breetzke and Joburg Super Kings ‘finisher’ Donovan Ferreira, have already progressed to the Proteas T20 International team based upon performances in Betway SA20 Season 1.
But the true value of the tournament goes even further as it also assists the development of future captains and leaders.
Betway SA20 Rising Star Ethan Bosch was excellent with the ball in Betway SA20 Season 1, claiming 15 wickets for the Pretoria Capitals. But now at age just 25, the all-rounder has been handed the leadership reins at his domestic union, the Dolphins, for the upcoming Cricket SA 1-Day Cup.
It is a major achievement for such a young cricketer to be handed such a big responsibility.
Bosch claimed that he was informed of his potential new role last season already, and had therefore monitored the movement of his Pretoria Capitals skipper Wayne Parnell and other Betway SA20 captains closely during last season’s tournament in a bid to learn more about the role.
“Taking over the captaincy when Keshav (Maharaj) isn’t around is something that the coaching staff and I spoke about for a couple of months and something that I had quite a bit of time to think about,” Bosch said.
“(Dolphins coach) Imraan (Khan) spoke to me at the end of last year about it already.
“The question from the coach opened my eyes to thinking about the game a bit differently during the SA20 and I watched the leaders and how they do things. It’s a massive honour to lead the guys in the One-Day Cup.”
Taking on the captaincy is slightly foreign for Bosch but it’s a role that he is relishing heading into the new season.
“Being a captain has never really been something that I thought about until I was asked because my focus has always been on winning games for the Dolphins,” Bosch explained.
Bosch, whose elder brother Corbin has also been traded to the Pretoria Capitals from the Paarl Royals for Season 2, has no previous top-flight leadership experience, but he is certainly looking forward to the challenge.
“I felt that I was a leader in my own right in terms of the things that I did on the field, so I feel I’ve moved into a leadership role quite naturally,” he said.
“There are going to be a lot of challenges and I have the right support next to me in terms of some of the senior players in the squad.
“I have a good support structure with me going into the competition and really looking forward to get going this season.”
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.
