WE CANNOT UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPACT OF BETWAY SA20 – ROB WALTER

Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter has credited the positive energy currently running through South African cricket to the impact of the Betway SA20.

Walter, who has been stationed in New Zealand for the past seven years, returned to his native South Africa in February to take over the ODI and T20I national teams.

He has immediately noticed the renewed positivity around cricket in the country, and especially the diverse audiences that have flocked to the stadiums in support of the Proteas, and he believes it has much to do with the advent of South Africa’s new T20 League that took the nation by storm back in January.

“We can’t underestimate the impact of the SA20 on cricket in South Africa. Just the general interest in the game. The crowds were significant and the quality of cricket was high,” Walter said.

“There was some momentum coming out of that and we were able to jump on that against England and that continued on. 

“We’ve spoken about how we’re in a privileged position to inspire our country and unite our country through sport. To see the difference in the people who are watching the game has been awesome as well.”

Walter and the Proteas as a unit take a break for a period of time now, but a large contingent of the players headed off to India on Monday to participate in the Indian Premier League. 

Among them are IPL regulars such as Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings), Anrich Nortje (Delhi Capitals), Quinton de Kock (Lucknow Super Giants), David Miller (Gujarat Titans), Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen (both Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Lungi Ngidi (Delhi Capitals) as well as newbies such as Sisanda Magala (Chennai Super Kings).

There are also a host of talented South African youngsters such as Tristan Stubbs and the uncapped Dewald Brevis, Duan Jansen (all Mumbai Indians) and Donovan Ferreira (Rajasthan Royals) already in India having a taste of the mega T20 franchise competition. 

Veteran Faf du Plessis (Royal Challengers Bangalore) has already made an early impact with a half-century in RCB’s opening game, while Rilee Rossouw (Delhi Capitals) and the internationally retired Dwaine Pretorius (Chennai Super Kings) will also be eager to impress. 

Walter, who has previously worked at the IPL with the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) and the now defunct Pune Warriors, is fully aware of the impact the IPL can have on a players’ development and will be keeping a close eye on his charges. 

“I think the main thing is to make sure that each player has a clear directive in terms of what they would like to get out of it for South Africa. It’s a great opportunity for our players to play under pressure, to develop their skills,” he said.

“It’s a high level of cricket that they are playing all the time. There is a skill development area, but there is also an element of how they handle high pressure situations.”