Betway SA20 is fast approaching the home straight with four playoff matches scheduled this week with all the excitement culminating in the grand final at the Wanderers on Saturday.
The road to where destiny will be decided begins at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday, February 4 where the two top sides after the League phase, MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals, meet in Qualifier 1 (5:30pm start).
The two Western Cape sides both won seven out of their 10 matches, which included a historic five-match unbeaten streak at home respectively, to earn the first opportunity of reaching the final.
While the Royals have progressed to the playoffs since the competition’s inception, this will be MI Cape Town’s first trip to the promised land after two indifferent seasons.
MI Cape Town’s charge will be led by their impressive skipper Rashid Khan, who fully embraced the Newlands faithful in Season 3, and was grateful for the support his team received across the five sold out home matches.
“We haven’t had many wins in the first two years for them. Only three wins out of 10 games for them. But this year, we had five out of five,” Rashid said.
“The way they came out, supported the team, was amazing and beautiful. And that’s something which gives us as a team so much energy inside the field.
“They came in numbers, supporting us. And that’s the kind of energy you get from the fans.
And the good thing is, we gave them some best memories, great cricket. And we’re looking forward to having the great seasons ahead as well. And we will be looking forward to giving them the trophy this year.”
MI Cape Town will once again be reliant on their in-form top-order of Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks to lay the platform before the explosive hitters consisting of Dewald Brevis, George Linde and Delano Potgieter take strike.
The Royals will of course be missing one-half of their own potent opening combination with former England captain Joe Root having departed for international duty last week.
Teenage starlet Lhuan-dre Pretorius, however, remains a formidable force in the Powerplay, while the Royals have been boosted by the return of their skipper David Miller, who missed the last two matches due to injury.
“Yeah, it’s feeling good. Obviously, took a week off. Yeah, I mean, I’ve done a fitness test and it seems to be going well. We’ll see how we pull up tomorrow (Tuesday) morning,” Miller said.
“I think it’s fair to say that you can’t really replace someone that, you know, his calibre and what he’s (Root) achieved in this competition and given us.
“But I truly believe that we’ve got a squad that is very adaptable. Spoken all season about that. And, the guys coming in are super, super positive and really skillful as well. Mitch Owen came in from Australia, he gives us the power up front and he can bowl as well. So really, really chuffed with his addition.”
Miller’s team were the first to qualify for the playoffs, but MI Cape Town have hit a purple patch in their last couple of matches heading into Qualifier 1. The Royals skipper claims his team have accepted the challenge.
“Yeah, they seem to be on fire, but it’s a great opportunity for us to knock them off. Both teams have the opportunity to whoever loses goes through to another semifinal.
“So, look, it’s a great opportunity. And, you know, I think they’re a phenomenal team. They’ve really got a lot of match-winners in their team.
“But I truly believe in T20 it’s about really seizing the moments and it takes just one or two guys to really stand up.”
twin blaze
New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia are the most successful teams in the history of the Rugby World Cup, with each country winning the tournament three times. New Zealand claimed the title in 1987, 2011, and 2015, while South Africa was victorious in 1995, 2007, and 2019. Australia won the tournament in 1991 and 1999.
Light Lion
In 71 Tests, Martin has scored 123 runs, while he has 233 wickets to his credit, on the other hand Chandrasekhar has 167 runs to his name along with 242 wickets.