SLICKER THAN THEIR AVERAGE

In this week's Trivia Tuesday, we look at the batters with the highest averages across the two seasons of Betway SA20 and, using a minimum of 10 matches played, the leader is Sunrisers Eastern Cape's Tom Abell.

The 30-year-old top-order batter played only one match during the inaugural season of South Africa's premier T20 cricket league (before international commitments with England Lions) but showed what his game is about with a quickfire 40 not out against Pretoria Capitals. Then, during Season 2, Abell came into his own with his 286 runs in nine matches including three fifties. Cumulatively, Abell's SA20 average sits at 54.33.

Abell's exploits denies Heinrich Klaasen at least one batting record in South Africa's premier T20 cricket league, but the Durban's Super Giants talisman does claim second place with his 810 runs in 23 matches in the competition yielding him an average of 47.64. Klaasen's consistency is incredible considering he has been used at first-drop and all the way down to a 'finisher' role and, more often than not, delivers - as seven 50s and one century shows.

Joburg Super Kings, meanwhile, have come to rely on the consistency of Leus du Plooy whose average sits at 42.25 after 20 matches. Du Plooy, Pretoria-born but set to qualify for England, has largely been the rock in JSK's middle-order but when their Season 2 needed a kick-start joined his captain Faf du Plessis at the top of the order and 'The Doops' ended up making a formiddable opening partnership.

Positions four and five are taken up by the Cape-based wicketkeeper-openers, MI Cape Town's Ryan Rickelton and Paarl Royals' Jos Buttler respectively.

Rickelton's position is, obviously, greatly helped by his record-breaking Season 2 exploits during which he scored 530 runs at an average of 58.89. A leaner inaugural campaign, however, places his overall average at 42.25.

Buttler, on the other hand, just misses the mythical 40 mark but if anybody is the epitomy of consistent it is England's white-ball captain.

In Season 1, Buttler scored 408 runs, at an average of 40.80 and then in 2024 he scored 391 runs at an average of 39.10. As such his overall average sits at 39.95.

Positions 2-5 are taken up by Heinrich Klaasen (Durban's Super Giants), Leus du Plooy (Joburg Super Kings), Ryan Rickelton (MI Cape Town) and Jos Buttler (Paarl Royals).

The second-half of the Top 10 is an interesting combination of players. There's MI Cape Town's legendary allrounder Kieron Pollard who just makes the cut having played all 10 of their Season 2 matches, and finishing with an average of 37.40 to show he has lost none of his ability at 37-years-old.

Kyle Verreynne, in seventh place, had a bit-part role as a batter at JSK in Season 1 but showed his value for Pretoria Capitals from number 3 this year. His overall average is 36.25 - helped by his League record 116 not out against MI Cape Town.

Interestingly, while Durban's Super Giants' Matthew Breetzke scored the bulk of his overall SA20 runs in Season 2 (416) when he opened for them, his overall average of 36.06 benefits from the two not outs he had in 2023 when he batted in the middle order.

JSK captain Faf du Plessis, who has only opened in his 22 SA20 matches, actually has four unbeaten knocks which has given his overall average a slight bump to 35.76.

Rounding out the Top 10 is Marco Jansen, who doesn't get to bat too much for Sunrisers Eastern Cape, but seems to make it count when he does with by making either a significant score (66 against MI Cape Town in Season 1 and 71 against Paarl Royals in Season 2) or ending up not out (seven times in 22 matches). As a result, his average sits at 35.25.

HIGHEST BATTING AVERAGES IN SA20 HISTORY

1. Tom Abell (Sunrisers Eastern Cape 2023-24) | 10 matches | 326 runs | 54.33 average

2. Heinrich Klaasen (Durban's Super Giants 2023-24) | 23 matches | 810 runs | 47.64 average

3. Leus du Plooy (Joburg Super Kings 2023-24) | 20 matches | 626 runs | 44.71 average

4. Ryan Rickelton (MI Cape Town 2023-24) | 17 matches | 676 runs | 42.25 average

5. Jos Buttler (Paarl Royals 2023-24) | 22 matches | 799 runs | 39.95 average

6. Kieron Pollard (MI Cape Town 2023-24) | 10 matches | 187 runs | 37.40 average

7. Kyle Verreynne (Joburg Super Kings 2023/Pretoria Capitals 2024) | 12 matches | 290 runs | 36.25 average

8. Matthew Breetzke (Durban's Super Giants 2023-24) | 19 matches | 541 runs | 36.06 average

9. Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings 2023-24) | 22 matches | 608 runs | 35.76 average

10. Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape 2023-24) | 22 matches | 282 runs | 35.25 average

*minimum 10 matches