by Abhai Sawkar It’s almost party time! South Africa is set to host the second edition of the Mzansi Super League, the premier T20 tournament, towards the end of the year. Earlier this month, the draft took place, and the resulting squads were an amalgamation of bolting, young talent as well as the richly experienced, big-match players. The previous edition saw the development of a number of stars in the making - for example, opening batsman Janneman Malan and right-arm quick Lutho Sipamla were two top performers in last year’s MSL who eventually were rewarded with T20I call-ups. Though they only received a sprinkling of international games, they have worked their way up to becoming mainstays in the Proteas A team, which is a tier below international cricket. Heading into the draft, all six teams (Cape Town Blitz, Durban Heat, Jozi Stars, Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, Paarl Rocks, and Tshwane Spartans) were all permitted to retain up to six players from last year’s roster to build a new squad from. Several familiar faces are in the mix - some have been re-signed, and others have found a new team to kick off a fresh campaign. Finally, the provincial T20 tournament came to an end, and each team had a chance to sign another wildcard player to complete the official roster for the 2019-20 MSL. The World T20 is coming up in about a year’s time, and preparation was underway during the recently completed T20I series in India, with Quinton de Kock in charge of the T20 team for the first time. Out of this current squad, the MSL beneficiaries include the ever-so-consistent top-order batsman Rassie van der Dussen, opener Reeza Hendricks, left-arm spinning allrounders George Linde and Bjorn Fortuin, and express quick Anrich Nortje. The series was a 1-1 tie, but it was important exposure for the newcomers. Left-arm pacer Beuran Hendricks starred, and Temba Bavuma made a favorable first impression as the new No. 3. The MSL is a great proposal for up-and-coming cricketers to create a strong impression, and especially with a world event coming up in the not-too-distant future, the stakes are high. Here’s a preview of six T20I-uncapped South African players (who have a good chance to enter the mix in the Proteas’ T20 WC plans) to watch out for during the upcoming MSL - one per team. Gregory Mahlokwana - Cape Town Blitz There’s always a lot of excitement that permeates, whenever an ambidextrous spinner is mentioned. Gregory Mahlokwana is a pretty rare talent - he can not only bowl slow left-arm orthodox, but he can also bowl offbreaks as well. He reminds us of Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis, who dazzled with the same dual skill at U19 level and more recently, had a go in international cricket. Mahlokwana earned his first franchise contract with the Titans for the recently completed 2018-19 domestic season. He took part in the shorter formats, and finished with 6 wickets in 7 games during the CSA T20 Challenge, with a respectable economy rate of 6.77. While not being a prodigious turner of the ball, Mahlokwana is known to bowl out his overs early in the innings. The Cape Town Blitz finished runners-up last time around, and they’re banking on his versatility and talent for this season. Should he have a strong tournament, his entrance to T20I plans will very much be in the realm of possibility. Marco Jansen - Durban Heat Tall, quick, and young, Marco Jansen has made rapid strides in his development as a budding cricketer at top level. He may not have entered the franchise setup as a regular player, but he has often featured for the South Africa Emerging team. In addition to his left-arm pace, he’s more than capable of adding handy runs as a lower-order batsman. His immense potential garnered the attention of the selectors, who recently gave him an opportunity after announcing the South Africa A squad for the India A tour. Despite the A team struggling in the subcontinent, Jansen has chipped in. A three-wicket haul during a shortened game in the unofficial ODI series, as well as a cameo of 45* during the first unofficial Test, further underlines his promise. Interestingly enough, when South Africa hosted India for a Test series early last year, Jansen had the privilege to bowl to the Indian batsmen during nets sessions. Jansen has earned his first MSL deal with the Durban Heat this time, and the team is looking to rectify, especially after a forgettable campaign last season. With plenty of fast-bowling talent coming through, for the 19-year-old, there’s plenty to play for. He is within striking distance of bagging his first franchise contract, too. It’s time to take the initiative early. Ryan Rickelton - Jozi Stars A highly rated and pugnacious opening batsman and wicketkeeper, Ryan Rickelton featured in the inaugural MSL last year, for the Jozi Stars. Not many might’ve heard of him at the time, but a tremendous innings of 91 from 59 balls against the Paarl Rocks in just the 5th match of the tournament instantly catapulted his popularity. Now a centrally contracted player for the Highveld Lions, Rickelton has established himself well in franchise limited-overs cricket. His innovative strokeplay and ability to score freely was on full display not only during the first MSL, but also during the recent CSA T20 Challenge, where he amassed 297 runs in 9 innings, averaging 33. To little surprise, the Jozi Stars secured him, ahead of the draft, as a retained player for the forthcoming MSL. Last year, he was selected to feature in the South Africa Emerging team, a side that has young, developing players that have been earmarked as strong contenders with potential to reach the highest level. The primary focus for Rickelton is to now deliver more frequently at center stage. As of late, the Proteas’ batting has been searching for form across formats. Could Rickelton be the much-needed top-order catalyst in T20Is? Time will tell. Marco Marais - Nelson Mandela Bay Giants Carefree, determined, and powerful, middle-order batsman Marco Marais first shot to notoriety in December 2017, when he smashed the fastest ever triple century in first-class cricket, eclipsing a record that lasted for almost a century. Marais belted an unbeaten 300 off just 191 deliveries, studded with 35 boundaries and a whopping 13 maximums, during a 3-day game for Border, against Eastern Province. Since then, the trend has been onwards and upwards. Marais would soon earn a contract with the Eastern Cape based franchise, the Warriors, for the 2018-19 season, on the back of strong performances across all three formats for Border. Not only that, the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants decided to take a chance on him last MSL. He played various roles in the batting order, opening at times, and batting in the middle order on other occasions, thus affecting his consistency. Additionally, facing the highly-ranked bowlers proved to be another challenge. The step up from provincial level to T20 franchise cricket isn’t always easy, but the 25-year-old has taken resolute strides in his adjustment. While he may have struggled to make a mark last time around, he strung together a few convincing performances in this year’s CSA T20 Challenge, including an unbeaten 82 from 33 against the Lions (5 fours and 8 sixes) plus a rollicking 75 from 30 (7 fours and 5 sixes) against the Cape Cobras. Marais’s hitting talent has been apparent for a while, and the Giants chose to reinvest in his potential, retaining him ahead of this MSL’s draft. Expectations are now relatively higher, especially since he’s a retained player, and stands a good chance to earn consistent game time. Marais’s development into the franchise system further highlights the multitude of talent at provincial level raring to persist until winning the big break into competing alongside some of the renowned names of the game. The Proteas will need a few strong middle-order finishers, and there’s plenty of incentive to create a favorable impression. Ferisco Adams - Paarl Rocks He may be the most experienced player out of this list, but he’s a testimony to the fact that putting in the hard yards for extended periods of time will eventually yield rewards. Hailing from Western Cape, Ferisco Adams is a bowling allrounder who combines his skiddy right-arm medium pace with powerful hitting down the order. The road to the limelight hasn’t been that simple for the 30-year-old, but this will be his second MSL stint. Adams has often alternated between provincial and franchise level cricket, playing for Boland as well as the Cape Cobras. More recently, he’s been a frequent feature for the Cobras in the shorter formats. The Cape Town Blitz recruited him for last year’s MSL, and he did impress in pockets. His best returns were a three-wicket haul against the Tshwane Spartans, who boasted a strong batting card. Normally known to bowl towards the end of the innings, Adams has plenty of variations in his arsenal, namely a reliable slower delivery and cutters, to name a few. Also a handy fielder, Adams brings a wide range of skills to the table. The Paarl Rocks roped him in during the recent draft, and hopefully the change in teams will bring about a positive turn of events. Tony de Zorzi - Tshwane Spartans Best known as the Proteas skipper during the Under-19 World Cup three years ago, the 22-year-old left-handed top-order batsman earned his first MSL opportunity last season for the Tshwane Spartans, on the back of his potential and limited-overs exploits for the Northerns provincial side. Despite a difficult U19 World Cup, Tony de Zorzi has incrementally improved as an attacking top-order batsman. However, he wasn’t able to get a chance to open the batting during the previous MSL, especially with the presence of more experienced names such as AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Gihahn Cloete, and Theunis de Bruyn. De Zorzi was shunted down and backed for all 10 league games, as the middle-order finisher. Unfortunately, 126 runs across 10 innings wasn’t nearly the overall result he’d have hoped for. However, during the recently completed franchise season, de Zorzi scored heavily in the Momentum One Day Cup for the Multiply Titans, and showed glimpses of his brilliance during the CSA T20 Challenge. The Spartans took note and decided to secure his services before the draft. In addition, the Titans took part in the Abu Dhabi T20 league in late 2018; de Zorzi would smash his highest T20 score, an unbeaten 106 from 57 deliveries, against the Afghanistan-based Boost Defenders. His 2018-19 first-class season may have been cut short because of an ankle injury, but he resiliently bounced back and scored 404 runs across 9 games in the One Day Cup, averaging over 50. Consistency is still a major factor for the youngster, but this time he stands a better chance to impress. With the MSL teams looking to the future, it seems likely he’ll finally receive the much-needed extended run at the Spartans’ top order. Known to be diligent both on and off the field (he’s also a BCom student at the University of Pretoria), de Zorzi’s mission for the Spartans will heavily revolve around redemption and ascent.
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