The Tshwane Spartans travel to Newlands to face the Cape Town Blitz in the opening match of the Mzansi Super League.
The Spartans – who will be led by AB de Villiers – top the pre-tournament betting boards and will prove a tough nut to crack, especially for the unfancied Cape Town franchise.
CTB vs TS | Friday 16 November | PPC Newlands | 18:00
To Win Match
Cape Town Blitz 27/20
Tie 35/1
Tshwane Spartans 62/100
Cape Town Blitz
There’s a bit of confusion surrounding the start of the tournament with regards to who is and who isn’t available on the opening weekend. I had initially thought that the all of the guys participating in the T10 League in the UAE would be unavailable until news of Dawid Malan’s heroics for the Cape Town Blitz on Wednesday evening in a warm-up match
What we do know for sure, however, is that Quinton de Kock – who replaced the injured JP Duminy as the team’s Marquee Protea – and Dale Steyn won’t be available for the first game as they’re in Australia with the Proteas.
With Malan in the mix, the pressure is eased somewhat on local stars like Janneman Malan, Ferisco Adams and Jason Smith at the top of the order. The Blitz boast a strong middle order containing all-rounders, Farhaan Behardien, Sibonelo Makhanya and Andile Phelukwayo. You feel that a big contribution batting-wise will be required from at least one of the trio after the Spartans scored a massive 217 against the Jozi Stars in a warm-up game this week.
Malusi Siboto and Anrich Nortje will likely lead the attack in Steyn’s absence on Friday. Phelukwayo – who has expanded his arsenal of changeups in the last few years – will be key, especially against the big-hitting Spartans. West Indian leg-spinner Samuel Badree and Dane Piedt offer solid options on a Newlands deck where the spinners have found joy in the last few editions of the CSA T20 Slam / Ram Slam T20.
Tshwane Spartans
The Spartans – who boast arguably the worst emblem in world cricket – head into this fixture full of confidence. They’ll be without a couple of their stars: Lungi Ngidi is in Australia with the Proteas while Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza are with Zimbabwe in Bangladesh. I’m not sure about Rilee Rossouw and Eoin Morgan. Both are set to play in the T10 in the UAE but may just be available for the first match of the tournament.
Bowling wise, Robbie Frylinck, Shaun von Berg and Andrew Birch have all been top performers with the ball for their local franchises while Rory Kleinveldt has been an ever-present on the county circuit in recent years. The four will likely all get into the starting XI and make up a fearsome quartet. Add Jeevan Mendis as well as quicks Lutho Sipamla and Eldred Hawken to the mix and you have a unit that can certainly go all the way this year. Bear in mind that Ngidi will return to strengthen this attack even more.
The real strength for the Spartans, however, lies in their batting. AB de Villiers’ availability for the entire tournament is massive for the franchise. He underlined his importance to the side with a scintillating 31-ball 93 in a warm-up match against the Jozi Stars on Tuesday evening. He’ll be partnered by Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn and Gilhan Cloete at the top of the order with the talented Tony de Zorzi another option Mark Boucher can look at. If Rossouw and Morgan are available, we’ll probably see red ball specialists, Elgar and de Bruyn, out of the starting XI.
Verdict: Tshwane Spartans 62/100
You simply can’t look past the Spartans here. They’re better in all departments and should be able to get the job down in the Cape.
