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Cricket PlayersSouth Africa's rise in international cricket down to SA20 and sold-out stadiums: ‘Players have insecurities like…’
Chris Morris feels the rapid rise of the SA20 has contributed to South Africa becoming a force in international cricket.
The last two to three years have seen South Africa emerging as a major force in international cricket. The Proteas have been there and thereabouts in the finals or semi-finals of the major tournaments. The 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final, the 2024 T20 World Cup final, the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) win, and the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final have shown how the Rainbow Nation are greater than the sum of its parts. The lineup might not have many superstars such as AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, and Faf du Plessis, but South Africa has managed to gel as a unit.
However, one major reason behind South Africa's ascension to the top has been the growing success of its domestic T20 league, SA20. It's no coincidence that the rise of the national team has coincided with the growing popularity of the domestic tournament. The competition has given the national team a wider talent pool to choose from, and some of the youngsters have also become household names in India due to the IPL teams owning teams in South Africa.
Chris Morris, a former South Africa all-rounder, also agreed that the SA20 complements the national team's growth, saying there's no doubt about the direction of the relationship between the two.
“It's got a massive impact. The SA20 has obviously got some of the world-class players coming into South Africa, and whenever you're rubbing shoulders with international cricketers that have been around the world and have performed on the big stage, you're going to improve as a cricketer, whether you're taking one per cent of what someone says or whether someone's impacted you a lot. If you're rubbing shoulders and spending time, you're seeing not only how calm players are under pressure, but also the way they think about the game. And I think the biggest thing that stands out for me, if I'm rubbing shoulders with international players, is that you figure out that they're still human,” said Morris while replying to a Hindustan Times Digital query during an interaction facilitated by SA20 ahead of the Season 5 Auction.
“It's that you're playing with some of the biggest names that have ever played the game, and you figure out that they are, and you find out that they're only human. They have insecurities like everybody else. And that does a massive thing for a player when you look up to someone, and you think this person can't do wrong, but when you find out before a game, they get more nervous than you do. It changes perspective on everything, and you figure out ways to get on with the game. But I think the impact itself is, you know, one of the things that people don't talk about is obviously we have full stadiums and players in South Africa, we don't often, unless you're playing for the national side, you don't get to play in front of a full stadium,” he added.
Morris further explained that South African players are becoming increasingly equipped to handle pressure in international cricket as they play in front of sold-out stadiums day in and day out at the SA20.
“It helps you handle a little bit of pressure and the expectation of what international cricket is about because when you first time you walk into it, I can tell you when the first time I walked into an IPL stadium, I got the fright of my life because I couldn't hear myself think,” said Morris.
“And that's the reality of it. So now that we've got that in South Africa and you've got our international players learning that very early on in their career, all it can do is help you become better as a player because you've seen the guys who are pushing the qualities out there. We are unearthing young talent that is making an absolute splash in South African cricket, if not world cricket now at the moment,” he added.
Ajinkya Rahane's involvement
Rahane, the former India batter, recently retired from international cricket and has already signed up for his first overseas league assignment. He will play for Steve Waugh's team in the ETPL. With this development, there is renewed hope towards Rahane to make the trip to South Africa to play in SA20. Morris believes the teams would benefit greatly from Rahane's experience if he chooses to come and play.
He brings a wealth of experience and is a world-class human being in general. He's a quality player, a quality human being, captain in the IPL, and he's played for India for many, many years. So, you bring that experience into a change, and all it can do is really guide your youngsters in the direction they want to play the game," said the former South Africa all-rounder.
“And let's not talk about his cricket alone. Just the way he bats, the way he gets on with it and is very capable of scoring T20 hundreds with his eyes closed, in my opinion, still. So, if he comes over, I think he'd be a great addition because he'd be a quality cricketer and an even better human being,” he added.
The excitement over new signings
Recently, the SA20 organisers confirmed the names of Joe Root, Mitchell Marsh and Phil Salt for the fifth edition of the tournament. Marsh, Australia's T20 captain, is in line to make his SA20 debut for the three-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Root, who formed a formidable opening partnership with young Lhuan-dre Pretorius for the Paarl Royals a couple of seasons ago, returns to Boland Park for another season in pink.
The runners-up, Pretoria Capitals, have received a significant boost to their top order with the additions of Phil Salt and Australian international Matt Short. Morris is excited about all the new names; however, he can't wait to see Marsh in action.
“Joe Root is an exciting one to have. He's obviously gained so much experience. The guys in the Paarl Royals really enjoyed him. He brought some unbelievable insight to the game and just a sense of calm to that squad. Phil Salt, unbelievably exciting. But I think what everybody's talking about is Mitch Marsh. We know how destructive he can be, all-rounder,” said Morris.
We've seen him do it all around the world. And I tell you what, if he gets involved all around this country with the way he plays, with the batting hand, and even with the ball, and his leadership skills that he does have, I tell you what, he can make a big impact on that squad. That is already a very strong squad at the Sunrisers. So I think Mitch Marsh is the obvious one that we all want to see how he goes in the country," he added.
