South Africa's premier domestic T20 competition returns this Friday, with seven England players looking to deny Jozi Stars a second successive trophy
South Africa’s premier domestic men’s T20 tournament returns this week, with Temba Bavuma’s Jozi Stars looking to defend their crown they picked up during 2018’s inaugural edition of the competition.
The tournament kicks off at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday afternoon, with the reigning champions hosting Cape Town Blitz in a rematch of last year’s final.
Every side will then play each other both home and away for a total of 30 group stage games, with weekday games starting at 5:30pm local time (3:30pm GMT), 12:30pm starts (10:30am GMT) for Saturday’s lunchtime fixtures, and double headers taking place every Sunday at 10am and 2pm (8am and 12pm GMT).
The team topping the table at the conclusion of the group stage will find themselves automatically qualifying for the final, which takes place at 3:30pm (5:30pm GMT) on December 16. There, they will face the winner of a last-chance eliminator match between the second and third-placed teams, kicking off at 3:30pm (5:30pm GMT) on December 13.
Mzansi Super League matches will be familiar to any T20 fan, with six overs of powerplay at the start of each innings and two runs and a free hit being awarded to the batting side after any no ball.
During the 30-game round robin stage, teams will pick up 4 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 2 points should the game get called off or cut short before a result can be reached, or a round zero for a loss. Winning teams can also add a bonus point by finishing with a run rate 1.25 times that of their opponents.
There are 85 minutes allocated to each innings with a fixed interval of 20 minutes between, and teams will be penalised one point per over not bowled within this time.
After heavy rain forced the abandonment of last year’s eliminator before a ball was bowled, letting Jozi Stars qualify for the final by virtue of finishing with more points from the group stage, this time reserve days are scheduled in for both of the tournament’s knockout fixtures.
Jozi Stars won the inaugural Mzansi Super League
No fewer than seven England players are set to line up in this year’s tournament, representing five of the six squads. After being rested from the ongoing T20 tour of New Zealand, Jason Roy will return to Nelson Mandela Bay Giants as their international marquee playe.
World Cup teammate Tom Curran has the same role at Tshwane Spartans, as does Alex Hales at Durban Heat as he continues his return to the professional game after a drug-related suspension saw him dropped from the national side.
Hales will be joined in Durban by former Essex allrounder Ravi Bopara, who recently cited Sussex’s flexibility around his global T20 desires as a key reason for his move to the south coast, while Cape Town Blitz are set to feature Liam Livingstone for the entire tournament and Moeen Ali dropping in as cover while Wahab Riaz is on international duty.
David Willey had previously been set to join James Vince as an overseas signing for Paarl Rocks, but the left-armer will no longer participate in the competition as his workload is being managed by the ECB.
A number of South African county regulars will also feature in the competition, including Lancashire wicketkeeper Dane Vilas and Hampshire seamer Kyle Abbott at Durban Heat, Paarl Rocks’ T20 specialists Hardus Viljoen and Cameron Delport, and the Jozi Stars pair of Yorkshire paceman Duanne Olivier and Essex offspinner Simon Harmer return to try and defend their crown.
Cape Town Blitz
Quinton de Kock (c/wk), Marques Ackerman, Asif Ali (PAK), Moeen Ali (ENG, until Nov 10), David Bedingham (wk), Khwezi Gumede, George Linde, Liam Livingstone (ENG), Sisanda Magala, Gregory Mahlokwana, Janneman Malan, Mohammad Nawaz (PAK), Anrich Nortje, Aviwe Mgijima, Vernon Philander, Wahab Riaz (PAK, from Nov 14), Dale Steyn
With Farhaan Behardien moving east across to Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, 2018’s player of the tournament Quinton de Kock steps up for his first captaincy position at the domestic level after filling in for Faf du Plessis with the national side in the recent three-match T20 tour of India.
He will again be joined in the Cape Town side by Proteas teammates Anrich Nortje and Dale Steyn, and new signings Wahab Riaz and Vernon Philander offer the Blitz a fearsome pace attack.
Riaz will miss the opening two games of the campaign due to Pakistan’s ongoing T20 tour of Australia, but coach Ashwell Prince has moved to secure the services of Moeen Ali in his absence. Joining Prince’s coaching team is Hashim Amla, who had previously withdrawn himself from the draft class and will instead play in the Abu Dhabi T10 League between stints as a batting consultant for the Blitz.
Ali’s future Birmingham Phoenix teammate Liam Livingstone will be available for the whole campaign, replacing compatriot Dawid Malan in the squad, while the retained top-order core of Janneman Malan and Asif Ali will look to take the side one better than their agonising defeat in last year’s final.
MZANSI SUPER LEAGUE 2019 SQUADS
Durban Heat
Dane Vilas (c/wk), Kyle Abbott, Ravi Bopara (ENG), Daryn Dupavillon, Sarel Erwee, Alex Hales (ENG), Marco Jansen, Wihan Lubbe, Keshav Maharaj, Wesley Marshall, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Malusi Siboto, Prenelan Subrayen, Shaun von Berg, Khaya Zondo
Durban Heat supporters endured a miserable time in their debut campaign, with Albie Morkel’s side winning just one of their first eight games and coming a comfortable last in the points table.
Unsurprisingly, therefore, it’s almost all change: former India and South Africa national coach Gary Kirsten is now in charge, retaining just five players from last year’s setup, including Hampshire seamer Kyle Abbott and Proteas regulars Keshav Maharaj and David Miller.
That means gone are Morkel, Rashid Khan, Heinrich Klaasen, Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander -- this time, the Heat’s hopes lie on a wide selection of experienced new faces, including 2018’s champion skipper Dane Vilas, star seamer Andile Phehlukwayo, and English pair Ravi Bopara and Alex Hales coming in as their only overseas selections. Opening with back-to-back games at their Kingsmead home, things can surely only get better for the Heat.
Ravi Bopara is one of a number of new faces at Durban Heat
Jozi Stars
Temba Bavuma (c), Eathan Bosch, Dan Christian (AUS), Chris Gayle (WI, until Nov 24), Simon Harmer, Reeza Hendricks, Shoaib Malik (PAK, from Dec 1), Duanne Olivier, Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Nono Pongolo, Delano Potgieter, Sinethemba Qeshile (wk), Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams
After taking the inaugural MSL title in 2018, the Johannesburg side had to say farewell to coach Enoch Nkwe after he succeeded Ottis Gibson at the helm of the senior South Africa side.
Stepping in is Jamaican coach Donovan Miller, who brings four years of CPL experience, and joining him will be 11 of the 16 players from 2018’s triumphant squad, including last year’s top run scorer Rassie van der Dussen and leading wicket-taker Duanne Olivier.
However, Dane Vilas and Beuran Hendricks (12 wickets at 17.16) will be notable absentees, and incoming skipper Temba Bavuma will need to improve on his 2018 return of 5 runs in 4 games if his side is to repeat its success. Chris Gayle will only be available for the opening six fixtures, with Shoaib Malik set to make his maiden MSL appearance in his place from the start of December.
Nelson Mandela Bay Giants
JJ Smuts (c), Farhaan Behardien, Matthew Breetzke (wk), Nandre Burger, Junior Dala, Ben Dunk (AUS, wk), Beuran Hendricks, Heino Kuhn (wk), Dyllan Matthews, Marco Marais, Akhona Mnyaka, Chris Morris, Onke Nyaku, Jason Roy (ENG), Imran Tahir, Grant Thomson
JJ Smuts’ Giants side missed out on a playoff place by just one point in 2018, with a final day total of 129 for 8 after winning the toss proving light work for Cameron Delport and his Paarl Rocks to leapfrog them at the last moment.
Chris Morris, Imran Tahir and England opener Jason Roy all return to form a formidable core to the Port Elizabeth side as they seek to make amends, having started strongly before going winless through the December fixtures.
Veteran offspinner Imran Tahir will again lead the attack, while international teammate Junior Dala and the incoming Nandre Burger will hope to improve on last year’s hauls of five and seven wickets respectively. The additions of Farhaan Behardien and Beuran Hendricks, however, should significantly bolster the side’s stocks with both bat and ball respectively.
MZANSI SUPER LEAGUE 2019 FIXTURES: FULL SCHEDULE
Paarl Rocks
Faf du Plessis (c), Ferisco Adams, Henry Davids, Cameron Delport, JP Duminy, Bjorn Fortuin, Sibonelo Makhanya, Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), Kerwin Mungroo, Thando Ntini, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi, Isuru Udana (SL), Kyle Verreynne, Hardus Viljoen, James Vince (ENG)
A familiar name returns to the frontline of South African cricket as Thando Ntini – the 19-year-old son of legendary fast bowler Makhaya – completed the Paarl Rocks squad last month as the team’s post-draft wildcard pick.
Hampshire coach Adi Birrell once again takes the reins in the Western Cape, and his side will hope to go one game further than last year’s trip to the eliminator after adding four players with a wealth of international experience in JP Duminy, James Vince, Isuru Udana and Hardus Viljoen.
Injury, however, has already threatened the Boland Park side’s hopes – allrounder David Willey won’t take up his place as their international marquee player while England manage his workload, and Aiden Markram ruled himself out of the tournament (and South Africa’s final test against India last month) by fracturing his wrist while lashing out after a questionable LBW call in Pune.
With the veteran pair of David Wiese and Michael Klinger no longer part of the Rocks setup, the returning Proteas trio of Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi and skipper Faf du Plessis will need to lead by example.
Heinrich Klaasen will captain Tshwane Spartans, rather than AB de Villiers
Tshwane Spartans
Heinrich Klaasen (c/wk), Corbin Bosch, Tom Curran (ENG), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Waqar Salamkheil (AFG), Lutho Sipamla, Pite van Biljon (wk), Roelof van der Merwe, Vaughn van Jaarsveld
There’s a strong Surrey flavour in Gauteng this year, with Tom Curran and Morne Morkel coming in for their first MSL campaigns to join the returning Dean Elgar and Theunis de Bruyn.
Representation from the other side of the Thames comes from Dutch international and future London Spirit man Roelof van der Merwe and short-form superstar AB de Villiers, though he surrenders the Spartans captaincy to fellow wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen this time around.
With Mark Boucher at the helm, perhaps it should come as no surprise that his squad is packed with glovemen – Pite van Biljon is a new signing from the champion Jozi Stars, and the youngster Donovan Ferreira returns to complete the set – but where the side may struggle this time around is in the overseas department.
Afghanistan’s teenage left-arm wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil joins Curran in stepping into the large boots of England skipper Eoin Morgan and 2018’s second-leading wicket-taker Jeevan Mendis, despite having played just one List A game and having a single international cap under his belt.
In the UK, BT Sport will be showing the second edition of the competition across their network of channels.
South African viewers will be able to watch every game live on SABC Sport, while Indian viewers will be able to stream the tournament via the Fancode app.
Jozi Stars appear to be the early favourites - you can get odds of 7/2 for Kagiso Rabada's side. They are followed by Tshwane Spartans (4/1) and Cape Town Blitz (5/1), both of whom feature England internationals.
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