5 superstar all-rounders to watch out for in SA20 2024 ft.Marco Jansen and Sam Curran
The second edition of SA20 gets underway on January 10, 2024, with the defending champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape ("SEC") facing Joburg Super Kings ("JSK") at St. George's Park in Gqeberha. After a stupendous first season, the SA20 will look to attract more and more spectators to the stadiums and take the tournament to a global scale.
The scheduling of the second season of SA20 has already come under scrutiny with a majority of the players opting out of the Test series in New Zealand that will clash with the SA20. The tournament will witness players from around the world who have tasted success in T20 leagues and also in international cricket being a part of the T20 season in the Rainbow Nation.
On that note, here is a look at five superstar all-rounders to watch out for in SA20.
#1 Marco Jansen
The South African all-rounder was a vital member of the SEC team that won the inaugural edition of the SA20. Jansen shone both with the bat and ball and is an indispensable part of the franchise.
In 9 innings with the bat in SA20 2023, Jansen scored 177 runs at an average of 44.25 and an astounding strike rate of 150. He picked up eight wickets with the ball in 12 matches and had a perfect all-round season.
Jansen is presently amongst one of the best all-rounders in South Africa and has tasted success in all three formats for the Proteas. He will be one of the players to watch out for in SA20 2024.
#2 Sam Curran
The English all-rounder is one of the most sought players in the shortest format. Curran's stocks have risen in the shortest format especially after his heroics in the T20 World Cup 2022 when he was one of the architects in England's triumph and was named Man of the Series.
Curran is a part of MI Cape Town and will look to set the stage on fire with his all-round performances in SA20 2024. He picked up eight wickets at an average of 27.12 in SA20 2023. With the bat, he did not create much of an impact in the last season. However, Curran is an experienced campaigner and a match-winner on his day with both the bat and/or the ball and one of the all-rounders on the radar of cricket fans in this season of SA20.
#3 Mooen Ali
The English all-rounder will play for JSK in SA20 2024. Moeen Ali's experience of playing T20Is, IPL, and various T20 leagues around the world could be handy for his team. For the records, Ali has featured in 82 T20Is for England and has a strike rate of 143.35 with the bat in 69 innings.
With the ball, he has 45 T20I wickets and a decent average of 28.04. Ali was a part of the England team that won the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Ali's dynamic and attacking style of batting along with sharp bowling skills makes him an asset for any team in the shortest format. Ali has proved his worth both with the bat and ball in all three formats and will look to create an impression in his maiden SA20 season.
#4 James Neesham
The Kiwi all-rounder played for Pretoria Capitals in SA20 2023 and had an excellent season with both the bat and ball. He picked up 14 wickets at an average of 17.92 with the ball and made his experience count. With the bat, he score 176 runs from 11 innings at a strike rate of 132.33.
Neesham has been an integral part of the Kiwi limited overs set up in the past few years. In 58 T20I innings, Neesham has a dangerous strike rate of 157.89 and is an extremely effective batsman in the death overs.
Neesham is an excellent outfielder and his 3D skills i.e. attacking batting, accurate bowling and sharp fielding makes him one of the all-rounders to watch out for in SA20 2024.
#5 Romario Shepherd
Shepherd is another exciting all-rounder to watch out for in SA20 2024. His strike rate of 152.79 in 17 T20I innings makes him a dangerous batsman in the death overs especially lower down the order. He has also picked up 33 T20I wickets and is a handy all-rounder to have in any team.
The West Indies all-rounder picked up eight wickets at an average of 30.75 in SA20 2023. He also had a strike rate of above 137 in the said season. Shepherd will be representing JSK in SA 20 2024.