The SA20 League will mark a significant milestone with its 100th game as Paarl Royals take on Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the Season 3 Qualifier 2 at Centurion on Thursday evening. This landmark game comes in the final week of an incredible third season, which has been highlighted by entertaining cricket, sold-out matches and vibrant celebrations across the six stadiums.
There have been several highlights since the League's debut; from the first century by Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen pyrotechnics in Season 2, sold-out stadiums, unprecedented fan support and record broadcast viewership. SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith, shared his thoughts on this achievement.
"My massive highlight in that initial period was the opening game at each stadium in the first season. I'll never ever forget those goosebump moments. We set a couple of the big goals upfront. We were quite bold and ambitious.
We wanted to own what we wanted to be. We said we wanted to be the biggest League outside of India. We wanted to be the No. 1 sport and entertainment brand in South Africa," Smith said as quoted by an SA20 press release. "I think we've lived those things. I think three years in, the proof and the stats and the feedback we're getting is that we've managed to achieve a lot of those goals," the former South Africa skipper added.
Over the past three seasons, SA20 has provided a platform for young South African cricketers to showcase their talent on a global stage. Smith believes this will always remain a priority moving forward.
"We've seen the quality grow year on year. We've seen the South African talent come through, which is something that we always wanted to do. So, as we celebrate the milestone of 100 SA20 games, it's impossible not to feel a sense of pride and optimism for the future. The pipeline of talent is stronger than ever, and the lessons learned from the SA20 are being carried forward to international cricket," the 44-year-old concluded.
