Opinion Sport

I’m sold too: SA20 auction drama spells on-field spectacle

Matthew Marcus|Published

LUCKING IT OUT: MI Cape Town went all in for gem Duan Jansen

Confession time. Maybe I’ve been a bit harsh on the hele SA20 ding.

I’m still worried that it will be a Trojan horse that could damage SA cricket.

With Cricket South Africa’s premium money-making event largely bankrolled by Indian cash, it just gives me bad vibes.

That’s not my area of expertise and time will tell if this doesn’t blow up into a skandaal down the line.

TALENTED: Dewald Brevis

But let’s put all the worries aside and imagine we can have our cake and eat it.

I was drawn in by the glitz of the player auction on Monday afternoon.

The chaotic dynamic during auction also adds to the spectacle.

Imagine having to build a squad on the fly.

Hundreds of man hours of scouting gets done beforehand, but even the best-laid planne get deurmekaar gekrap when you’re bidding for players against the opposition.

LOCAL FLAVOUR: Beuran Hendricks

Sitting in the same room as your competitors, watching your budget get blown and having no time to think makes for some interesting entertainment.

If the action on the field is as good as that

So I guess I’m also sold now.

MI CapeTown know they lucked out landing Duan Jansen in the SA20 auction this week.

The twin brother of Proteas rising star Marco will be a big player for them in next year's inaugural season.

He is obviously less known than his younger brother - by 15 minutes.

But his boetie has been modelling his game on Duan all the jare.

Also a left-arm seamer and able to klap a ball as righthanded batter, the Kaap got the original version.

Duan is now in Marco's shadow because of an unfortunate shoulder injury.

But when Marco was snapped up by the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, Duan went saam as a reserve and has been helping the squad as a net bowler.

Now he will get his big chance.

That’s the word from the franchise’s global performance chief Mahela Jayawardene.

Elsewhere in the squad, retained pick Dewald Brewis is seen as the future superstar of the game.

Compared to AB de Villiers, it's obvious by his incredible shot selection that he is going to have Newlands gonsing.

Aside from the groot name like Kagiso Rabada and Rassie van der Dussen and international stars Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Rashid Khan, the mix in the squad is encouraging.

Foreigners like Windies seamer Odean Smith and Afghan youngster Waqar Salamkheil are regulars on the T20 circuits in the Caribbean, Pakistan and Arabian Gulf.

Seasoned Cape campaigners like George Linde, Beuran Hendricks and Ziyaad Abrahams will add the local to the squad and good knowledge of the conditions.

SA batters Delano Potgieter, Wesley Marshall and Grant Roelofsen may not be big names, but they have loads of T20 experience.

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