The SA20 has made an excellent start to life on the franchise scene, but we can’t help but feel there is a certain short-sightedness to the setup.
It seems like the long-term goal for the tournament is to become a second IPL, perhaps a little scaled back.
The problem is that the SA20 doesn’t have any real room to expand without risking diluting the product and ultimately losing the magic.
It is clear that the SA20 is meant to be holiday fare for South Africa as born out by the young faces that dominate the crowds attending the matches.
In targeting the school holidays in the post-Christmas lull, the SA20 offers parents at their wits end a chance to get the kids out of the house for a fun and safe experience. That formula worked a treat first time out and the early indications are that it will work well again.
The SA20 has been locked in for a decade with agreements made with broadcasters and big-money partners from India, but where will it take the game in South Africa?
You might argue that the SA20 is a vital lifeline to the domestic game which is beset by struggles, including but not limited to paying players a living wage and allowing them to be entirely professional.
It could be a stretch but some would even say that the SA20 benefits the First Class game as it will help to keep talented players in South Africa and playing for their unions. While the demise of the Kolpak system has stopped the drain of established professionals, younger players are still opting to leave the country for opportunities in places like New Zealand and England.
However, others are still concerned that the SA20’s success will sound the death knell of the longer formats in South Africa, with organisers clearly favouring the shorter formats.
The problem with the SA20 is that its continued success will come at some sort of cost for cricket in this country, but there are arguments to be made that the tournament offers one of the few viable paths to keeping cricket sustainable as a professional sport in South Africa.
Deepest of those concerns is the apparent will to torpedo the national team’s chances of competing in international tournaments because it may clash with the SA20.
The SA20 is clearly the jewel in Cricket South Africa’s crown right now, but are administrators aware of where this path actually leads?
