SA20 - Birth of a New Era

It may have felt a little overdue but the confirmation that South Africa’s SA20 League will get under way on 23 January was both welcome and exciting in equal measure.

Many of the details were already known but league commissioner, Graeme Smith, told a virtual media gathering on Wednesday that there were no roadblocks on the way ahead. Perhaps a few speedbumps.

Smith made it clear that players’ availability for the three leagues which overlap – Australia’s Big Bash, the UAE’s ILT20 and the SA20, would be largely left to them. At least a dozen players are double, if not triple-committed and it was clear that some contracts still need to be clarified.

We are live @SA20_League looking forward to bringing this brand and league to life for everyone. #SA20 #foreveryone pic.twitter.com/IqavWmcxSS

— Graeme Smith (@GraemeSmith49) August 31, 2022

"I was in the UAE last week networking with their league, and we've agreed a way of handling it. There needs to be a way for both of us to co-exist. I'm looking forward to further engagement with them on that," Smith said, carefully side-stepping the reality that final agreement has not been reached.

England allrounder Moeen Ali is the most high-profile player to have signed with both the ILT20 and the SA20 and has, awkwardly, been used by both tournaments in promotional campaigns.

"We have aligned on a strategy in terms allowing the player to be comfortable on what he does and where he decides to play. I'm dealing with the UAE league on that," Smith said.

Situations change by the minute but latest news from the Moeen management camp is that he has chosen to play in the Emirates.

"When a league requires the amount of international talent that they do, it makes the player market interesting and tough," Smith said. "We've been able to attract some exciting names - the likes of Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone," Smith said, pertinently, before highlighting the difference between the two tournaments.

"We focus on South African talent as well. Being able to put 60 or 70 South African players on a global platform is something we're excited about. We've seen how that's benefitted Indian cricket in the IPL."

'FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO SA CRICKET'

The Big Bash would appear to be the 'loser' with the rise of the ILT20 and SA20 with lower fees meaning that many players will leave Australia to take up their places in the more lucrative alternatives – Afghan legspinner, Rashid Khan and England batsman Liam Livingstone being the most prominent.

"We have an arrangement to allow players to play for a portion of the Big Bash. They'll be there for the first few days of January, and then they'll move over to us. They'll be available fully for the South African league," Smith said.

In the contest for relevancy and long-term sustainability, the Big Bash and the SAT20 do at least have regional identities.

The Big Bash has over decade of history and has developed unique followers and supporters, even in Sydney and Melbourne which has two teams each.

South Africa’s six Franchises will enjoy the luxury of significant geographical separation, and local pride. Given the free-movement of players between tournaments, they will need to maximise every ounce of that.

Some players will hitting match-winning sixes in Perth on Sunday before appearing in Durban the next Thursday. Authenticity may be the most important, long-term goal for the health of all these leagues.

Smith’s reputation as a cricketer is based almost exclusively on his achievements as a player and a captain in test cricket. He is undeniably one of the greatest of all time. He was, naturally, asked about the effect of the T20 league ‘fad’ on the FTP which sees the Proteas playing just 28 tests in the next five years.

"The structure of the season changes every year. There are things everyone grapples with in the international game, with the growth of T20, trying to understand how all the formats fit in. It's an interesting discussion going forward. Every year South Africa has played a T20 tournament but now it's got to a level which elevates it to a standard that we've seen across the world. It brings a lot of expertise into our game," Smith said.

"It's going to bring financial support to South African cricket that, hopefully, is going to benefit all formats of the game in South Africa. It will increase our player pool and standard, and keep us relevant in the international game," Smith said.

Test cricket lovers may be getting much less of their favourite ‘fix’ in years to come but, if it’s any consolation, Smith sees the ‘Boxing Day-New Year’ axis continuing. At least for three out of every four years:

"We envisage that we will always start after the New Year test. We don't see it as an issue for test cricket. We see it as an issue of growing South African cricket and keeping it strong."