The biggest prize in South African sport has arrived in South Africa with the Betway SA20 trophy landing in Cape Town ahead of the opening match on 10 January at Newlands.
The six franchise captains came up close with the 24-carat gold and silver plated masterpiece, the coveted silverware they will all be playing for in the next month.
The first-ever SA20 trophy has been designed and crafted by world-renowned goldsmiths, silversmiths, and elite sporting trophy makers, Thomas Lyte, who have worked on some of the world’s most prized trophies including the ICC Test Championship Mace, Rugby World Cup’s Webb Ellis Cup, The Emirates FA Cup and the United Rugby Championship (URC) trophy.
Graeme Smith, Betway SA20 League Commissioner said, “The Betway SA20 trophy is the most coveted prize in South African sport, we wanted to create a masterpiece to fit the profile. We are looking forward to watching some of the best players in cricket battle it out for the ultimate honour of lifting the Betway SA20 League Trophy.”
The prestigious piece was handcrafted by a team of master silversmiths and goldsmiths in Thomas Lyte’s fine silver workshops in London, England.
Taking over 300 crafting-hours to make, the design features six handles that represent each of the six founding franchises of the League, with the tournament logo proudly engraved on its front.
Standing at 60 cm tall, the trophy boasts an innovative and contemporary design with classical features, all the characteristics of a Thomas Lyte trophy.
Thomas Lyte’s Director and former cricketer Neil MacLaurin said, “We are proud to be the official trophy partner to the Betway SA20 League. Our team have designed and crafted many trophies for elite sporting competitions around the world, but the thrill of working on a new project is never lost. The Betway SA20 is no exception, from sketching the initial concepts through to delivering the finished trophy we were determined to produce an iconic prize for this explosive new cricket tournament, a prestigious trophy for South Africa to be proud of.”
The players were equally full of excitement for the show to start. Speaking at Bo-Kaap, an iconic and historical location in Cape Town where the captains took a photo with the trophy, Joburg Super Kings captain, Faf du Plessis said:
“It’s great to see the big trophy that we will be playing for. The SA20 is going to have a massive impact on South African cricket, we hope to see plenty of fans in the stand supporting this exciting League. It’s going to be an entertaining month of quality cricket, we can’t wait to get going.”
Durban’s Super Giants captain, Quinton de Kock said : ‘There is a lot of excitement building around the SA20 in the country, as players and DSG, we are looking forward to competing in the first edition of the tournament. All teams have really strong squads so it’s going to be a competitive and entertaining competition.”