BETWAY SA20 SUPERSTARS READY FOR T20 WORLD CUP BATTLE

With the excitement reaching fever pitch ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka starting on Saturday, the Betway SA20 superstars are gearing up to take centre stage.

The franchise rivalries have been put aside, and the players will come together under their national flags.

The Proteas, of course, will have the biggest continent at the T20 World Cup with each member of the 15-player squad having recently performed in Betway SA20 Season 4.

Durban’s Super Giants captain Aiden Markram will once again take the leadership reins for the Proteas after leading his team to the final in Barbados two years ago.

Betway SA20 Season 4 MVP and Batting Leader Quinton de Kock headlines the Proteas’ batting force and will hope to transfer his form for Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the T20 World Cup.

The League’s all-time top run-getter Ryan Rickelton has benefitted from a late call-up after an injury to DSG’s Tony de Zorzi and will add significant firepower to the Proteas’ batting line-up.

Betway SA20 Season 4 Player of the Match Dewald Brevis will bring his X-factor six-hitting skills to the middle-order, where he is joined by the experienced Paarl Royals captain David Miller, Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s championship-winning skipper Tristan Stubbs and MI Cape Town maverick Jason Smith.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s Marco Jansen and MI Cape Town duo George Linde and Corbin Bosch complete the allrounders list.

The express pace of Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and young tearaway Kwena Maphaka lead the fast bowling unit that is complemented by the skill of Lungi Ngidi with his Pretoria Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj completing the squad.

They will come up against familiar foes in Afghanistan on Wednesday, 11 February in Ahmedabad.

The Afghans will be led by MI Cape Town’s skipper Rashid Khan with his fellow mystery spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Paarl Royals) and Noor Ahmad (Durban’s Super Giants) in tow.

New Zealand opener Devon Conway will certainly be hoping to provide his teammates with some intel on Noor Ahmad after spending fortnight together with Durban's Super Giants at Kingsmead during Season 4.

The Proteas will also go up against Conway and the Black Caps on Saturday, 14 December.

The Group C clash between England and the West Indies in Mumbai - a repeat of the iconic 2016 T20 World Cup Final - will also see a host of Betway SA20 players in action.

The Windies have the biggest Betway SA20 contingent outside of the Proteas with Shai Hope (Pretoria Capitals), Rovman Powell (Paarl Royals), Sherfane Rutherford (Pretoria Capitals), Roston Chase (Pretoria Capitals), Akeal Hosein (Joburg Super Kings) and Gudakesh Motie (Paarl Royals) all set face off against England’s DSG opener Jos Buttler.

The Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe tie on the February 19th in Colombo will be an all Paarl Royals affair with Eshan Malinga and Sikandar Raza going head-to-head against each other.

Last but certainly not least, the USA will also have one Betway SA20 representative in the impressive Joburg Super Kings allrounder Shubham Ranjane.

FULL LIST OF BETWAY SA20 SEASON 4 STARS AT THE T20 WORLD CUP

South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain, Durban’s Super Giants), Corbin Bosch (MI Cape Town), Dewald Brevis (Pretoria Capitals), Quinton de Kock (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), George Linde (MI Cape Town), Keshav Maharaj (Pretoria Capitals), Kwena Maphaka (Durban’s Super Giants), David Miller (Paarl Royals), Lungi Ngidi (Pretoria Capitals), Anrich Nortje (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Kagiso Rabada (MI Cape Town), Ryan Rickelton (MI Cape Town), Jason Smith (MI Cape Town) and Tristan Stubbs (Sunrisers Eastern Cape).

West Indies: Shai Hope (Pretoria Capitals), Rovman Powell (Paarl Royals), Sherfane Rutherford (Pretoria Capitals), Roston Chase (Pretoria Capitals), Akeal Hosein (Joburg Super Kings) and Gudakesh Motie (Paarl Royals).

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (captain, MI Cape Town), Noor Ahmad (Durban's Super Giants), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Paarl Royals)

England: Jos Buttler (Durban’s Super Giants)

New Zealand: Devon Conway (Durban's Super Giants)

Sri Lanka: Eshan Malinga (Paarl Royals)

USA: Shubham Ranjane (Joburg Super Kings)

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (Paarl Royals)