SA20 Team of the Tournament

The first-ever season of the SA20 came to a close earlier this month, with Sunrisers Eastern Cape crowned champions after an action-packed month of competition. After 33 matches, the South African franchise league proved to be a huge success. We look at the Team of the Tournament for the inaugural SA20.

Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings)

Innings 10, Runs 369, Ave 41.00, SR: 147.60, HS: 113*

The Joburg Super Kings captain proved that class is permanent after ending the competition as the second-leading run scorer with 369 runs. After a slow start to the campaign, du Plessis scored a brilliant century against Durban’s Super Giants. He almost scored another century in his next innings when he reached 92 off 61 balls against the Sunrisers.

He was unable to lead his side to victory in the semi-final but proved that he’s still a quality player with his consistent performances for the Super Kings.

Will Jacks (Pretoria Capitals)

Innings 7, Runs 270, Ave 38.57, SR: 201.49, HS: 92

Will Jacks had a huge impact in his 7 matches in the tournament, scoring 270 runs with an impressive strike rate of 201 for Pretoria Capitals. The highlight of his campaign was a fantastic 92 against the Sunrisers in Centurion. His partnership with Will Jacks at the top of the order was key to Pretoria Capitals’ impressive form in the round-robin stage. Jack’s 19 sixes were also the most in the tournament.

Jos Buttler (Paarl Royals)

Innings 11, Runs 391, Ave 39.10, SR: 132.54, HS: 70

My pick to be the tournament’s top run-getter did not disappoint. Buttler stood out in a disappointing Paarl Royals batting lineup. Whether opening or coming in at 3, the Englishman continued to score runs consistently and was the main reason why the Royals reached the semis after a poor campaign overall.

Aiden Markram (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)

Innings 12, Runs 366, Ave 33.27, SR: 127.97, HS: 100

Wickets 11, Ave 14.93, ER: 6.19, BBI: 2/7

It was no surprise that Sunrisers Eastern Cape skipper Aiden Markram was named Player of the Season with Saca’s unique MVP scoring system used to determine the winner. It took into account several factors, including batting, bowling, fielding, captaincy, Player of the Match awards and even being on the winning team.

Markram’s hundred in the semi-final was his standout performance in a campaign in which he contributed with both bat and ball. He took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 6.19, which was exceptional for a “part-timer”.

Heinrich Klaasen (Durban’s Super Giants)

Innings 9, Runs 363, Ave 60.50, SR: 164.25, HS: 104*

Heinrich Klaasen was arguably the tournament’s best batsman considering where he batted and the number of times he rescued an inconsistent DSG batting lineup. His average of 60.50 is the highest on this list and illustrates the superb tournament he had.

Having already passed fifty 3 times in the tournament, he signed off with 104* off 44 balls against the Pretoria Capitals, which saw his side record a fantastic 151-run victory.

James Neesham (Pretoria Capitals)

Innings 11, Runs 176, Ave 25.14, SR: 132.33, HS: 37; 

Wickets 14, Ave 17.92, ER: 8.27, BBI: 3-7

With none of the finishers in the tournament having great campaigns, I’ve gone for two all-rounders in this side. James Neesham was exactly what you want from an all-rounder in T20 cricket. He was impactful with the bat, chipping in with the ball and rarely was expensive, and was spectacular on the field with some breathtaking catches.

Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)

Runs 177, Ave 44.25, SR: 150.00, HS: 66; 

Wickets 8, Ave 34.37, ER: 7.74, BBI: 1/5

The are several players who could’ve made this team like Eathan Bosch for his 15 wickets, but Marco Jansen’s performances with the bat give him the edge. His standout performance was an astonishing assault on MI Cape Town captain Rashid Khan which yielded 28 and saw him score 66 of 27 balls, which led his SEC to victory from an ominous position.

Bjorn Fortuin (Paarl Royals)

Innings 10, Wickets 14, Ave 18.21, ER: 6.45, BBI: 3/14

The first of two left-arm spinners in this team Bjorn Fortuin was brilliant for PR, with his ability to take wickets in the Powerplay while remaining economical. His ability to take a wicket in the first over of the powerplay became his trademark move and often got his team off to brilliant starts.

His tally of 18 wickets was the fifth-best in the tournament, along with three other players.

Roelof van der Merwe (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)

Innings 9, Wickets 20, Ave 9.55, ER: 5.61, BBI: 6/20

Arguably SEC’s most valuable player, Roelof van der Merver had a dream tournament, taking 20 wickets in 9 matches. His performances were often key to SEC’s success in the tournament, taking big wickets in key situations including the vital wicket of Donovan Ferreira in the semi-final. His 6/20 was the undoubted highlight and the best figures of any bowler in the competition and took 4 wickets in the final to cap off a superb campaign.

Gerald Coetzee (Joburg Super Kings)

Innings 9, Wickets 16, Ave 13.52, ER: 8.07, BBI: 4/24

The inaugural edition of the SA20 was the breakthrough tournament for Gerald Coetzee. He took 16 wickets in two fewer matches (9) than the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Anrich Nortje who ended on 20 wickets. His best performance of 4/24 came against the Sunrisers and you have to think that his performances in the tournament should earn him a call-up to the Proteas T20 side.

Anrich Nortje (Pretoria Capitals)

Innings 11, Wickets 20, Ave 13.25, ER: 6.18, BBI: 3/12

Anrich Norjte was at his devastating best in the SA20, taking 20 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 13.25. His pace and accuracy once again proved to be a problem for the batters in the tournament as he beat a lot of batsmen for pace. He ended as the tournament’s joint-leading wicket-taker with 20 wickets.