Quiet leaders eliminate the noise ahead of SA20 final

There’s a lot of noise in the Betway SA20.

The speakers are always turned up to 11 and everyone, including the TV commentators, seems to be shouting.

Wayne Parnell and Aiden Markram provide a hushed contrast.

The captains of the Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, respectively, have travelled different paths in terms of leadership and in the competition itself — which has lit up South African cricket, given it a much-needed boost and put a smile on its face. 

By offsetting the noise around the competition with soft-spokenness internally, Parnell and Markram have found just the right balance for themselves and the teams they will lead into Saturday’s Betway SA20 final.

Both could be termed natural captains and were stars at under-19 level; Parnell led the South African age group side to a runners up spot in the 2008 ICC under-19 World Cup, while Markram famously won it as captain six years later. 

Parnell admitted to taking the sport too seriously, which hampered his performance in the professional ranks, while Markram has had to endure struggles at international level that saw him being dropped from the Test team last year. 

But the SA20 has shown what effective leaders they both remain.

For Parnell it's a continuation of the careful work he did as captain of a young Western Province team last year, but needed to transfer to a side full of international experience at the Capitals.

For Markram it’s been about rekindling those leadership habits having last done so when put in charge of the Proteas for a one-day series with India in 2018. 

He has thrived as the leader of the Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

Statistically he is that side’s best player scoring 340 runs and taking 10 wickets — and is certainly in line to be the competition’s Most Valuable Player.

He has been at the forefront as the Sunrisers turnaround, as they overcame losing their first two matches to make the semifinals, where they faced trouble against the Joburg SuperKings and needed Markram’s majestic century to eventually triumph.

“I suppose you feel a little bit of extra responsibility, which helps,” he said on Friday. “But you don’t want that responsibility to paralyse you, you still want to play quite free, especially in this format.”

With the Proteas management contemplating a captain for the 2027 World Cup, Markram may be in the frame, after his performances in the last five weeks. 

“You’re obviously always trying to find ways to win ... to have a leadership role, and through that play a part to get the team into the final is quite cool.

It’s not really changed my game too much, but that desperation (to perform well) gets exaggerated quite a bit (when you are captain).”

Parnell meanwhile has had to learn to be less desperate as regards his performances. Putting an emphasis on having fun, he now tries to get that message across to younger players, believing it creates more room for their talent to prosper and new areas for them to grow as players and people.

“My way is to try and empower people. You’ve seen some lesser known guys (in the Pretoria Capitals) excel. Whereas at Western Province he could assess players over the course of a season, the abbreviated nature of the SA20 schedule meant there was little time to do that. 

“Credit first must go to the (management) staff who assembled the squad. The overseas pros, they are really good players, but also good teammates, that’s the best thing I have seen through this competition. 

“At Pretoria Capitals, we had an eight-day build-up with guys coming in every other day and it was about trying to figure out who the go-to guys would be and to find those others from the domestic set-up, who have got more to give.

“We have been able to take guys like that to another level both as a leadership group and the players themselves wanting to be in those situations,” he said.

Saturday’s final will come down to assessing the conditions at the Wanderers, while also dealing better with the nerves than the opposition, said Parnell. 

“Finals can go one way where it brings out the best in people but it can also paralyse people. So we want to err on the side that brings out the best.”

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