SA20 may have been as good for England, ahead of ODIs, as it has for SA

Obviously the Betway SA20 has been good for South African cricket.

Matches have been played in front of sold-out stadiums, young local players have been exposed to different training methods, experienced international teammates and coaches, new tactics and world-class medical expertise. Some even got to meet the great Brian Lara. 

The benefits for the local game have already been profound, but the impact is expected to be greater still in the long term. 

Meanwhile the SA20 has also been good for England.

The current 50-over World Cup holders begin a three match ODI series against the Proteas on Friday and, rather than requiring warm-up matches to acclimatise to conditions, at least half of the squad already have significant match time under their belts.

Having resided in posh surroundings in the Western Cape, the buzzing urban centres on the highveld and seaside abodes in KwaZulu-Natal (notwithstanding its noxious beaches) and the Eastern Cape, the most drastic adjustment for England’s players will be to the less glamorous localities of Bloemfontein and Kimberley, where the ODIs will be played.

Jos Buttler and the six other members of the England squad who have participated in the SA20, have not had to worry about snow like their mates who will travel from the UK, and they have also already got a feel for the South African players, all of whom, with the exception of Temba Bavuma, have participated in the SA20.   

Arguably the most notable advantage has been the return of Jofra Archer. 

The lithe fast bowler, with a fondness for his puppies and big gold chains, had not played in nearly 18 months, after injuries to his elbow and back. 

When the SA20 announced its wildcard policy, the Mumbai Indians Cape Town wasted little time in roping in Archer. It helps that MI has Archer on their books for the Indian Premier League and would have wanted to ensure that a player they’d spent $800,000 (R13.7m) to acquire was back to full fitness. 

While Buttler has sought to play down Archer’s return, saying no-one should burden him with too much expectation, he’s been ecstatic about the quality of his international teammate’s performances, even if one example thereof came at Buttler’s expense. 

With last Saturday’s match between MI Cape Town and Buttler’s Paarl Royals still in the balance and Buttler batting smartly, Archer was called on to bowl the penultimate over at Boland Park. He’d just dropped the England captain in the previous over, adding to the pressure. 

After delivering a wide, he found just the right length, got a little bit of movement away from Buttler to find the edge. Game basically over. “Facing Jofra is always a big challenge,” said Buttler afterwards. “It’s great for the England team to have him back.”

“Thank you SA20” he must have thought too.

Given what SA need to do in the series — win it to help their quest for automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup — there’ll be a few Proteas not so enthused by the SA20’s “assist” for England.

In addition to Archer’s performances, Buttler is the competition’s highest run-scorer with an aggregate of 285. Ironically he took over that spot on Tuesday from another Englishman, Will Jacks, who has timed the ball gloriously but is not in the squad for the ODIs. 

Facing Jofra is always a big challenge. It’s great for the England team to have him back.

—  Jos Buttler

Phil Salt, Jacks’ opening partner at the Pretoria Capitals, has impressed too making two half-centuries. 

With the ball, besides Archer, the wily leg-spinner Adil Rashid has underlined his class for the Capitals taking nine wickets, while Reece Topley, the tall left-arm seamer, is another who has used the SA20 to regain form and fitness after injury, and also includes Buttler’s among his six wickets in the tournament. 

The only concerns for England has been the form of Sam Curran — the player of the tournament at the T20 World Cup last year — who’s not scored many runs and has only taken three wickets and Buttler’s opening partner at the Royals, Jason Roy, who has scored just 100 runs in eight innings. 

However, Matthew Mott, England’s white ball coach, and Buttler will not be having sleepless nights. The longer white ball format is less frenetic and allows time to work out kinks and build confidence. 

For all the good it’s done South African cricket, the SA20 has already cost the Proteas one series — against Australia which was cancelled so that the tournament could take place with all the national players available — now it has also given a helping hand to England and possibly harmed the Proteas’ chances of automatically qualifying for the World Cup.