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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two-time defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape will kick-start what promises to be an exciting season three of the SA20 – South Africa’s T20 domestic league – with a home match against MI Cape Town in Gqeberha.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The match will be an opportunity for the Sunrisers to send a clear message to their challengers, one that they will not loosen their vice-like grip on what is increasingly becoming a coveted trophy within the cricket community.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, they will face tough competition from the five other teams who are desperate to taste sweet SA20 success.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2049734\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SPCS3549.jpg\" alt=\"Sunrisers Eastern Cape SA20\" width=\"4377\" height=\"2337\" /> <em>Sunrisers Eastern Cape are crowned SA20 champions on 12 February 2024. (Photo: Sportzpics)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The likes of Durban’s Super Giants, Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals will be out to dethrone the kings of the SA20. Each team will play every other team home and away before the playoffs.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the gains and public buy-in on full display throughout season two – which concluded in February 2024 – SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith believes the third instalment of the fast-paced and action-stacked T20 tournament will be even better than the first two.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We’re very proud of what we’ve been able to build in two years. [When we started] we wanted to be the biggest league outside of India. We’ve established ourselves as that,” Smith told </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Maverick </span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on the sidelines of the fixture reveal, which took place at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We’re starting to attract top international talent. The local talent is getting better and better. The cricket is looking super exciting for season three, with such strong teams,” the former Proteas captain said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The other thing that’s been a huge success is the fans through our gates. We had close to 380,00 people through our gates last year. We sold out games and saw people having fun in cricket stadiums again. That’s been incredible to see,” Smith said.</span>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/BetwaySA20?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BetwaySA20</a> Season 3 fixtures ⬇️ <a href=\"https://t.co/9aHhkY4iiD\">pic.twitter.com/9aHhkY4iiD</a></p>\r\n— Betway SA20 (@SA20_League) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/SA20_League/status/1830571008891203952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 2, 2024</a></blockquote>\r\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ahead of the new season, a host of international superstars have already pledged their allegiance to the various franchises that will battle for supremacy in just four months. This includes Englishmen Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. Plus, South African-born New Zealander Devon Conway and his compatriot Kane Williamson … just to name a few.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This shows that the SA20 has bolstered its credibility among the world’s domestic T20 leagues, despite still being the newcomers in that space.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It competes with tournaments such as Australia’s Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League and of course, the Indian Premier League (IPL), though Smith was quick to point out that the latter league exists in a completely different realm.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The IPL is a beast. It’s very difficult to compete with,” Smith said. [To even come close to the IPL] you’ve got to start with the quality of cricket. If you go through the player list and you see some of the international superstars coming, plus the local superstars… That part is looking incredible.”</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Perfect platform</b>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SA20 has proved to be a perfect platform for some hidden gems in South Africa’s domestic scene. One example is batter Matthew Breetzke. The Super Giants star has grown alongside the SA20 and his consistency over the first two editions has seen him enter the Proteas fray.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2345153\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cricket-SA20-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"graeme smith sa20 ottniel baartman\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1762\" /> <em>Ottniel Baartman of South Africa bowls against The Netherlands at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on 8 June 2024. (Photo: Richard Huggard / Gallo Images / Getty Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then there is bowler Ottniel Baartman, who made his Proteas debut on the back of an exceptional SA20 2023/24 season. Baartman, of the Sunrisers, was named bowler of the season after the 2024 SA20 after taking the second-highest number of wickets, 18 in eight matches, at a stunning economy rate of 6.95.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 31-year-old Oudtshoorn-born bowler went on to star at the T20 World Cup, in the US and the Caribbean, as the Proteas reached their first major final.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We’ve been open about the fact that we want to play a role of putting top players in a competitive place, exposing them to the best coaching, physio and training,” Smith said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“An Ottniel Baartman story is exciting for us. It’s been exciting to see him come through using the platform of the SA20. Then going into a World Cup and having a great tournament. Those are the kinds of stories we look forward to seeing,” the commissioner said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“If we can add to the talent pool and strengthen South African cricket, make the selectors’ jobs tough, because there are so many players to choose from, we’ll be happy.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The launch of the Schools SA20, also announced on Monday, is another deliberate attempt by the league to unearth South Africa’s cricketing gems.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This exciting junior national competition will run from September 2024 to March 2025. More than 370 boys’ school teams and more than 200 girls’ school teams will participate, with more than 1,000 matches played in a quest to discover future Proteas. </span><b>DM</b>",
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"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two-time defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape will kick-start what promises to be an exciting season three of the SA20 – South Africa’s T20 domestic league – with a home match against MI Cape Town in Gqeberha.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The match will be an opportunity for the Sunrisers to send a clear message to their challengers, one that they will not loosen their vice-like grip on what is increasingly becoming a coveted trophy within the cricket community.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, they will face tough competition from the five other teams who are desperate to taste sweet SA20 success.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2049734\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"4377\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2049734\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SPCS3549.jpg\" alt=\"Sunrisers Eastern Cape SA20\" width=\"4377\" height=\"2337\" /> <em>Sunrisers Eastern Cape are crowned SA20 champions on 12 February 2024. (Photo: Sportzpics)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The likes of Durban’s Super Giants, Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals will be out to dethrone the kings of the SA20. Each team will play every other team home and away before the playoffs.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the gains and public buy-in on full display throughout season two – which concluded in February 2024 – SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith believes the third instalment of the fast-paced and action-stacked T20 tournament will be even better than the first two.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We’re very proud of what we’ve been able to build in two years. [When we started] we wanted to be the biggest league outside of India. We’ve established ourselves as that,” Smith told </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Maverick </span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on the sidelines of the fixture reveal, which took place at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We’re starting to attract top international talent. The local talent is getting better and better. The cricket is looking super exciting for season three, with such strong teams,” the former Proteas captain said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The other thing that’s been a huge success is the fans through our gates. We had close to 380,00 people through our gates last year. We sold out games and saw people having fun in cricket stadiums again. That’s been incredible to see,” Smith said.</span>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/BetwaySA20?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BetwaySA20</a> Season 3 fixtures ⬇️ <a href=\"https://t.co/9aHhkY4iiD\">pic.twitter.com/9aHhkY4iiD</a></p>\r\n— Betway SA20 (@SA20_League) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/SA20_League/status/1830571008891203952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 2, 2024</a></blockquote>\r\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ahead of the new season, a host of international superstars have already pledged their allegiance to the various franchises that will battle for supremacy in just four months. This includes Englishmen Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. Plus, South African-born New Zealander Devon Conway and his compatriot Kane Williamson … just to name a few.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This shows that the SA20 has bolstered its credibility among the world’s domestic T20 leagues, despite still being the newcomers in that space.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It competes with tournaments such as Australia’s Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League and of course, the Indian Premier League (IPL), though Smith was quick to point out that the latter league exists in a completely different realm.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The IPL is a beast. It’s very difficult to compete with,” Smith said. [To even come close to the IPL] you’ve got to start with the quality of cricket. If you go through the player list and you see some of the international superstars coming, plus the local superstars… That part is looking incredible.”</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Perfect platform</b>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SA20 has proved to be a perfect platform for some hidden gems in South Africa’s domestic scene. One example is batter Matthew Breetzke. The Super Giants star has grown alongside the SA20 and his consistency over the first two editions has seen him enter the Proteas fray.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2345153\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2345153\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cricket-SA20-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"graeme smith sa20 ottniel baartman\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1762\" /> <em>Ottniel Baartman of South Africa bowls against The Netherlands at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on 8 June 2024. (Photo: Richard Huggard / Gallo Images / Getty Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then there is bowler Ottniel Baartman, who made his Proteas debut on the back of an exceptional SA20 2023/24 season. Baartman, of the Sunrisers, was named bowler of the season after the 2024 SA20 after taking the second-highest number of wickets, 18 in eight matches, at a stunning economy rate of 6.95.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 31-year-old Oudtshoorn-born bowler went on to star at the T20 World Cup, in the US and the Caribbean, as the Proteas reached their first major final.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We’ve been open about the fact that we want to play a role of putting top players in a competitive place, exposing them to the best coaching, physio and training,” Smith said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“An Ottniel Baartman story is exciting for us. It’s been exciting to see him come through using the platform of the SA20. Then going into a World Cup and having a great tournament. Those are the kinds of stories we look forward to seeing,” the commissioner said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“If we can add to the talent pool and strengthen South African cricket, make the selectors’ jobs tough, because there are so many players to choose from, we’ll be happy.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The launch of the Schools SA20, also announced on Monday, is another deliberate attempt by the league to unearth South Africa’s cricketing gems.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This exciting junior national competition will run from September 2024 to March 2025. More than 370 boys’ school teams and more than 200 girls’ school teams will participate, with more than 1,000 matches played in a quest to discover future Proteas. </span><b>DM</b>",
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Sunrisers Eastern Cape are crowned SA20 champions on 12 February 2024. (Photo: Sportzpics)
Ottniel Baartman of South Africa bowls against The Netherlands at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on 8 June 2024. (Photo: Richard Huggard / Gallo Images / Getty Images)