SA20 will help South African talent thrive at world stage: Uthappa

Former India batter Robin Uthappa said SA20 is poised to make a world of difference to South African cricket, as young talent has now started coming steadily through the league which might interest IPL scouts as well.

SA20 has showcased some bright prospects such as batters like the Hermann brothers (Rubin and Jordan), and pacers Kwena Maphaka and Nqobani Mokoena, who have represented South Africa at various levels, over the last four years.

 “I reckon as far as atmosphere and quality of cricket are concerned, it’s the second-best league after the IPL. You will see South African cricket thriving,” Uthappa, who is here as a commentator, told a select media gathering.

“I think with the way they’re performing at the ICC Championship tournaments and the way they played in India recently, I think you’ll see a lot of that talent coming through,” he added. Uthappa said these players will also be in big demand in various other leagues across the world.

“The likes of Mokoena, an 18-year-old fast bowler who plays for Paarl Royals, Jordan Harman who plays for Sunrisers. I think these are talents that even the IPL scouts will keep their eyes on because these are players for the future. You will see them playing in world cricket very, very soon,” he added.

Uthappa also said the SA20 has sparked genuine interest in India — cricket’s biggest market — because of the quality and intensity it offers.

 “Well, I think people want to watch high quality cricket anywhere around the world. People generally sleep a little late. So, it (SA20) goes on till about 12. So, I think it falls in that sweet spot for Indian viewership. I think the intensity of it will also get better and we will get to see better quality cricket a lot more often.

“I think 2.25 billion people watch cricket globally today. I think they have the capacity to watch about four or five tournaments that are very high quality. I think this will be one of them after the IPL.” Uthappa said SA20 has already shown the capacity to grow alongside IPL, and urged stakeholders to give space for the league to mature further.

“You have got to look at this from a holistic perspective. What runs the culture here, the cricket culture here, and what runs the ecosystem here? So, when you look at it, there are still some hurdles for them to overcome. I think it’ll get there over a period of time.

“You know, IPL became IPL maybe after the fourth or fifth season, right? You got to give tournaments and leagues that length of time and the space to mature into what it can actually become. “I think this (SA20) is going through those ladders right now and I think over a period of time you will see some really high-quality cricket from here,” he noted. Uthappa said the SA20 and its scheduling is perfectly aligned with the needs of a fast growing cricket viewership across the globe.