Review: SA20 players impress in CSA T20 Challenge (week 3)

BREVIS THE BUZZ AS CSA T20 CHALLENGE ENDS WITH A BANG

The Mumbai Indians Cape Town owners will be licking their lips after witnessing the final week of the CSA T20 Challenge in Potchefstroom where several of their SA20-recruited players were on display for their various South African domestic teams - among them the incredible Dewald Brevis.

The 19-year-old, signed by the Cape-based franchise even before the auction for the country's new blockbuster league was held in September, set the world alight on Monday when he delivered a sensational innings of 162 off 57 balls that included 26 boundaries - 13 sixes and the same number of fours - for the Momentum Multiply Titans.

Social media was abuzz after his spectacular display which saw him become the youngest man from his country to record a T20 ton that was also the highest score by anyone from South Africa. It was also the fastest 150 ever (52 balls), with many other records falling along the way. Brevis also took a spectacular Spiderman-like boundary catch in the same game to dismiss the dangerous Jacques Snyman, further underlining his all-round value.

The teenager, dubbed ‘Baby AB’ due to his similarity to the great AB de Villiers, played two further innings during the remainder of the week, both in the knockout stages when his impact was far less spectacular compared to that manic Monday showing - he scored a combined 11 runs and took one wicket in the playoffs.

He can nonetheless be forgiven for that as his Titans teammates, many of them also part of the SA20 that starts in January, covered his back by signing off with a four-wicket win over the Hollywoodbets Dolphins to seal the title on Saturday.

Gant Roelofsen of the Dolphins, another MI Cape Town acquisition, also experienced an underwhelming knockout stage, but his overall exploits in Potch saw him finish the competition as the leading run-scorer with an aggregate of 333 runs at a strike rate of 132.66. The 26-year-old, an auction bargain at R175k, was also the most successful wicketkeeper with 14 dismissals in nine games.

His runs tally was six more than the 327 at 176.75 by Brevis, who also claimed seven wickets with his spin.

SIGNING OFF STRONGLY

The R3.3 million purchase, Duan Jansen, was another of the Cape Town-bound contingent to sign off strongly from the competition by blasting 39 off 15 balls in a 22-run win over the ITEC Knights on Tuesday.

Some of the Durban Super Giants’ players also enjoyed strong finishes to the competition, among them the likes of Prenelan Subrayen and Wiaan Mulder.

The former launched a pivotal 22 off 11 balls and took three for 18 for the Dolphins in their semifinal win over Gbets Rocks, before taking one for 25 in the final. Overall, the captain of the Durban side ended as the most successful spinner with 13 wickets at an average of 14.23.

Mulder, meanwhile, completed an excellent individual competition with the bat by striking 52 off 34 balls for the DP World Lions in what proved to be their final fixture, a 32-run win over Six Gun Grill Western Province. That gave the Proteas allrounder an impressive 206 runs in five innings.

Another Durban SG player, Simon Harmer ended the competition with nine wickets after his two for 22 in the semis.

There were some positive displays by Joburg Super Kings picks, Gerald Coetzee and Donavon Ferreira. Playing for the Knights, paceman Coetzee was involved in the high-scoring outing against the Titans on Monday where he launched an 11-ball 37 that included five sixes, before taking two for 28 in a losing semifinal effort.

That put him third on the overall charts for wickets with 13 strikes, five behind surprise package Bamanye Xenxe from the Rocks.

MATURE FERREIRA

The relatively unknown Ferreira showed his maturity with a crucial 40 off 25 balls when he was under pressure in the final. Before that he struck 33 off 15 balls in that high-scorer versus the Knights – highlighting just why the Super Kings splashed a surprise R5.5 million on him at auction.

Others to stand out in the final week were Malusi Siboto (2/19), Nandre Burger (3/22) and Caleb Seleka (3/13), all R175k signings by the Johannesburg-based SA20 franchise.

The Pretoria Capitals had multiple players in action, with the best performance coming through Shaun von Berg (3/22), the all-round Migael Pretorius (29 and 1/41, 36 and 1/35, 19* and 1/42) and Theunis de Bruyn, whose 36 and 32 in the two play-off matches were vital contributions on the way to the tournament title.

It was not the best of endings for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape players. Of the three of their squad to feature in the final, Ottneil Baartman (0/44) ended wicketless but still finished second on the overall wicket-takers column with 15. Jon-Jon Smuts claimed 11 in total after his two for 25 in the final in which he also struck a match-high 69. But both ended on the losing side.

Another Sunriser Ayabulela Gqamane was a winner and took one for 29 – bolstering his overall tally to eight wickets in nine matches.

Finally, Paarl Royals pair Mitchell van Buuren hit 40 off 24 balls and Codi Yusuf took two for 15 both playing for the Lions. They were the only two stand-outs for the Cape Winelands-based outfit.

SA20 players in each squad (43 in total):

GBETS ROCKS (6): Janneman Malan, Ferisco Adams, Leus du Plooy, Shaun Von Berg, Imran Manack, Christiaan Jonker.

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS (7): Theunis de Bruyn, Corbin Bosch, Aya Gqamane, Donovan Ferreira, Junior Dala, Simon Harmer, Dewald Brevis.

SIX GUN GRILL WESTERN PROVINCE (5): Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Junaid Dawood, Kyle Verreynne, Nandre Burger.

HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS (8): *Sarel Erwee, Eathan Bosch, Grant Roelofsen, Jon-Jon Smuts, Daryn Dupavillon, Marques Ackerman, Prenelan Subrayen, Ottneil Baartman.

NORTH WEST DRAGONS (4): Delano Potgieter, Duan Jansen, Caleb Seleka, Wesley Marshall.

DAFABET WARRIORS (3): Wihan Lubbe, Ziyaad Abrahams, Matthew Breetzke.

DP WORLD LIONS (8): Ryan Rickelton, Cameron Delport, Mitchell van Buuren, *Sisanda Magala, Wiaan Mulder, Evan Jones, Malusi Siboto, Codi Yusuf.

ITEC KNIGHTS (2): Gerald Coetzee, Migael Pretorius.

*denotes player has not played any games