With the most talked league at the moment in the cricketing circuits, the SAT20 league which is role modeled on India’s own Indian Premier league (IPL) post its successful first season is turning out to be a spectacle for viewers across the globe in the ongoing second season with the matches between teams owned by IPL franchise owners going down to wire producing great results.
The growing popularity of SAT20 South Africa’s own premier T20 tournament amongst cricket lovers has propelled former South African gloveman and the current coach of South Africa Mark Boucher to believe few days ago that hosting SAT20 in a country like India would do good and reap rich benefits to the popularity of the sport and tournament in the rainbow nation.
Boucher hopeful on future of SA20 League
Former South African wicket keeper batter Mark Boucher is hopeful of the SA20 reaping great benefits for South Africa, just as the IPL has done for Indian cricket over the years. Elaborating on the same, he added:
“IPL has boosted youngsters in India. The first edition of SA20 was a success despite being a trial one; the crowd came in large numbers to watch high-quality cricket. The one thing we can learn from the IPL is how it has boosted the youngsters in India, and that’s exactly what we are trying to do here.”
The inaugural season of the SA20 was played in January 2023. A total of six teams competed in the tournament. The Sunrisers Eastern Cape were crowned the first-ever champions by beating the Pretoria Capitals in the summit clash. It is worth mentioning that all six teams in the SAT20 are owned by IPL owners. The second edition of the T20 tournament kicked off on January 10.
However the former South African gloveman Mark Boucher who has coached Indian franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) is disappointed with the fact that the league is scheduled at a wrong time which affects the South African position in the World Test Championship(2023-25) as many of their key players prioritized on playing the SAT20 league rather the International Test Series versus New Zealand in February 2024.
Mark Boucher fumed up on CSA prioritizing franchise league rather than Tests
Former Proteas keeper-batter Mark Boucher expressed disappointment with Cricket South Africa’s scheduling of SA20, forcing the best players to participate in it at the expense of the Test series in New Zealand. The 47-year-old admitted that the players are not to be blamed for this situation.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) named a rookie-heavy squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand next month, starting on February 4th at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The 14-man squad has only 7 capped players, with an uncapped Neil Brand to lead them. Duanne Olivier remains the most experienced player with 15 Test appearances.
Speaking to SportsBoom.com, Boucher said it’s unacceptable for CSA to treat Test cricket this way:
“I’ll be honest with you. I am extremely disappointed [with the situation]. It’s got nothing to do with the players. You can’t blame the players who have been selected or the players who are not going. I think the scheduling needs to be really looked at by CSA, I don’t think it’s acceptable.”
The East London-born former cricketer stressed that South Africa couldn’t have afforded this as the WTC points are also at stake and elaborated:
“If I was New Zealand Cricket, I’d be quite disappointed. I understand them not wanting to pull out because the World Test Championship points are at stake. But I do think that we in South Africa need to sit down, have a hard look at ourselves at the scheduling and find a way to make it right.”
South Africa are currently third in the WTC points table, with 50% points. They won by an innings in Centurion against India, followed by a crushing eight-wicket loss within two days in Cape Town.
“I know I’m not alone” – Mark Boucher exclaims on future of test matches
Mark Boucher further said that Test cricket is indispensable and that a T20 tournament should never get weightage over it. He said (via SportsBoom.com):
“The SA20 is good for the public watching. It is very well supported, but we can’t have that in place of a Test series against a very, very strong New Zealand team away from home. So as a former player, and I know I’m not alone, there’re probably a lot of guys who would speak about it as passionately as me.”
The last time South Africa toured New Zealand, the series ended in a 1-1 draw. The first Test between South Africa and New Zealand will be played at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui from February 4 to 8 and giving the strength South African squad possesses it would be fair enough to say that the New Zealanders would clearly hold an upper hand in the test series .