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Betway SA20 Final Returns to Wanderers; Season 3 Opener and Qualifier 1 at St George’s Park

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The highly anticipated Betway SA20 Season 3 is set to light up the South African summer once again, bringing world-class cricket and entertainment to fans all around the country.

The action-packed tournament, featuring the best local and international talent, is set to thrill from 9 January 2024, with the Final locked in for 8 February at the iconic Wanderers Stadium.

The season kicks off with an almighty bang as back-to-back champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) start their unprecedented bid for a hat-trick of titles by hosting MI Cape Town (MICT) in the competition opener at St George’s Park. The opener will feature a blockbuster face-off between SEC captain Aiden Markram and MICT’s new box-office recruit Ben Stokes. There will also be a battle of southpaws between SEC’s Marco Jansen and MICT’s Trent Boult.

After the curtain’s been lifted, last season’s runners-up Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) welcome Pretoria Capitals (PC) to Kingsmead on Friday, 10 January. It will be the first opportunity for the Super Giants fans to see Black Caps legend Kane Williamson in action up close, while Capitals’ speedster Anrich Nortje will also make a welcome return after missing Season 2 through injury.

The action gets ramped up even further on the opening weekend when Paarl Royals (PR) begin their campaign against SEC at the picturesque Boland Park before Joburg Super Kings (JSK) take on MICT under lights at what is expected to be a heaving Bullring on Saturday, 11 January.

The Royals have invested heavily in their young players with teenage fast bowling sensation Kwena Maphaka out to continue his upward career trajectory. He won’t need to look too far to find some calm, experienced heads around him though as he will be able to call on legends Dinesh Karthik and Joe Root for advice,  whilst for JSK, it will be an emotional homecoming for Devon Conway as he makes his return to the Wanderers to lead the charge with Faf du Plessis.

The weekend’s action reaches a crescendo when the Pretoria Capitals (PC) face off against DSG at Centurion on Sunday, 12 January.

As the season progresses, the stakes will rise, leading into the playoff stages.

Season 3 has retained the same playoff structure of Season 2, but this time around they will be played at three venues, spreading the business end of the tournament to more fans than Season 1 and 2; with a Qualifier 1, Eliminator and a Qualifier 2 setting up the road to the Final.

The top two teams will play each other in Qualifier 1, followed by the Eliminator between the third and fourth-placed teams. The loser of Qualifier 1 and the winner of the Eliminator will battle it out in Qualifier 2, for a chance to book their place in the Final, against the winner of Qualifier 1.

St George’s Park in Gqeberha will host Qualifier 1, while Centurion will stage both the Eliminator and Qualifier 2.

And after hosting the inaugural Betway SA20 showpiece, the grand finale will once again return to the Wanderers in Season 3 on 8 February 2024.

The fixtures were unveiled in Johannesburg and attended by Betway SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith, players from the six franchise teams, key stakeholders and the media, as the excitement builds towards 9 January.

“Season 3 is set to be bigger and better, with a fantastic lineup of matches that will captivate our fans,” Smith said.

“We’re thrilled to start the season in Gqeberha with our defending champions and look forward to an action-packed summer of cricket. As we welcome international talent to the roaring pool of local stars, we aim to deliver an unforgettable experience for both players and fans alike.”

As with previous seasons, all matches will be broadcast live across seven territories, including Sub-Saharan Africa, India, the UK, Australasia, the UAE, and globally via ICC TV. Fans can also stay connected through Betway SA20’s social media channels for live updates and comprehensive coverage of all 34 matches.

The momentum continues to build as the franchises prepare to finalise their squads, including filling their Rookie slot, at the upcoming auction on 1 October 2024. With the excitement of the auction and the release of the fixtures, fans are encouraged to mark their calendars and prepare for a summer of incredible cricket.

Source: cricket.co.za

Quinton de Kock: With an HPI of 12.70, Quinton de Kock is the 6th most famous South African Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Quinton de Kock (born 17 December 1992) is a South African cricketer and former captain of the Proteas in all three formats. He currently plays for South Africa in limited overs cricket, Titans at the domestic level, and Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. He was named the Cricketer of the Year at Cricket South Africa’s 2017 Annual Awards.An opening batsman and wicket-keeper, de Kock made his domestic debut for the Highveld Lions during the 2012/2013 season. He quickly caught the national selectors’ eye when he starred in a match-winning partnership with Neil McKenzie in the Champions League T20 against the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He also finished fourth on the first-class rankings, despite playing only six of the 10 matches that summer. De Kock made his international debut in the first match of South Africa’s home Twenty20 International series against the touring New Zealanders during the 2012/13 season. He was asked to keep wickets in place of AB de Villiers, who asked to be rested. He has since played regularly for the team at both One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) level. In February 2014, he also made his Test debut for South Africa, playing solely as a batsman. By his 20th ODI match, De Kock had already scored five centuries. He became the fourth player to score three successive one-day centuries and the second player to score four ODI centuries before his 21st birthday. In his 74th ODI, against Sri Lanka on 10 February 2017, he became the fastest player to complete 12 ODI hundreds, bettering Hashim Amla, who had achieved the landmark in 81 innings. Before joining the Titans in 2015, de Kock played domestic cricket for Gauteng and the Highveld Lions. He has also played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Mumbai Indians. Although he opens the batting in One Day International and T20 cricket, he primarily bats in the middle order in Test cricket. In July 2020, he was named South Africa’s Men’s Cricketer of the Year at Cricket South Africa’s annual awards ceremony. In December 2020, in the series against Sri Lanka, de Kock captained South Africa for the first time in Test cricket.

Sourced From MyZA.co.za

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