SA20 2023: Best XI of the tournament
The inaugural edition of the SA 20 League is in the history books now. The marquee tournament culminated on Sunday (February 12) with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) successfully defeating the Pretoria Capitals (PC) by four wickets in the finals at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
After being put to bat first, the Capitals' innings just didn't get started. Opener Kusal Mendis top-scored for the team with just 21 as they crawled their way to a modest total of 135.
In reply, the Sunrisers got off to a blinding start, courtesy of Adam Rossington's quick-fire 30-ball 57. However, a middle-order hiccup saw them lose five of their wickets inside just 48 more runs.
The party has just started 😍
https://t.co/nSZYFbu5Pu
Fortunately for the SEC, Marco Jansen hit a winning four and a six off Jimmy Neesham to seal the deal for his side.
The final winded up in what was a terrific first season of the SA20 league. The tournament saw nerve-racking moments and nail-biting clashes throughout the campaign. A few standout performances will also linger on in people's minds while there were runs and wickets galore all the way through.
On that note, let's take a look here is our best playing XI from the recently-concluded first edition of the SA20 2023 that was played between January 10 and February 12, 2023.
Openers - Jos Buttler and Faf Du Plessis
Jos Buttler and Faf du Plessis will open the batting for this team. Both the star players played an integral part and led their respective sides from the front.
If Buttler ended the tournament as the highest run-getter with 391 runs at an average of just below 40, du Plessis was just behind his English counterpart and amassed 369 runs at an average of 41.
Both right-handers, however, would be disappointed to lose their respective semifinals to the eventual finalists.
Middle order - Will Jacks, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klassen (wk)
With the bat, with the ball, and as a title-winning captain - Aiden Markram had an incredible #SA20 🔥 https://t.co/HPmjr1DVuU
The middle order of this team will be formed by Will Jacks, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klassen.
The two Englishmen in Will Jacks and Phil Salt proved to be great additions to the Pretoria Capitals. While Salt scored 238 runs in ten games, Jacks was the batter with the best strike rate in the tournament.
Jacks, with his hard-hitting abilities, aggregated 270 runs at a strike rate of over 201. He played seven games for the Capitals before receiving a maiden national call-up from England on their tour of New Zealand.
At No. 4 will be the Player of the Tournament and captain of this side - Aiden Markram. The South African international played a gem of an innings in the semifinal for his team and scored a marvelous century in just 57 balls. Overall, he scored a total of 366 runs at an average of 33.27.
Moreover, apart from his batting, it was his bowling that made him a valuable individual for his team, taking 11 wickets at a brilliant average of 14.6.
Heinrich Klassen also features in this team's middle order. While his team, the Durban Super Giants, failed to make it to the playoffs, Klassen ended the season with some great batting numbers.
The 31-year-old wicket-keeper mustered 363 runs at a splendid average of above 60, including a breathtaking knock of 104 off just 44 balls against the Capitals in his side's last game of the tournament.
All-rounders - Jimmy Neesham and Marco Jansen
Yet another unbelievable catch by Jimmy Neesham - he's been fantastic in the fielding! https://t.co/mu5ViqsQWM
Two SA20 finalists, Jimmy Neesham and Marco Jansen, feature in this team's lower order.
While Neesham did his bit with the bat and ball, his fielding was quite astronomical throughout the campaign. The Kiwi all-rounder didn't take just one but five outstanding catches for the Capitals, including a one-handed blinder in the finals.
Neesham scored 176 runs at a strike rate of above 132, while also picking up 14 wickets in 12 games.
At No. 7 is the player who hit the winning runs for the Sunrisers in the ultimate finals, Marco Jansen. The ICC Men's Emerging Player of the Year 2022 was a great contributor for his side throughout the campaign, scoring 177 runs at an average of 44.3.
Moreover, Jansen's strike rate of 150 was the second-best for his side (among players who scored more than 100 runs). With the ball, the left-armer took eight wickets at a decent economy of 7.74.
Bowlers - Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Roelof van der Merwe and Anrich Nortje
38 years young, Roelof van der Merwe was absolutely outstanding with the ball in SA20 🤩
#SA20 https://t.co/6jqgXXZxBf
While Gerald Coetzee and Anrich Nortje will spearhead the pace attack of this team, Bjorn Fortuin and Roelof van der Merwe will be the two left-arm spinners to feature.
Coetzee turned out to be a revelation for his side, the Joburg Super Kings. With his bag of variations, the 22-year-old made it difficult for the opposition batters to run away with the runs. The right-arm pacer took 17 wickets at a brilliant average of 13.5 across just nine games.
The two left-arm orthodox spinners, Bjorn Fortuin and Roelof van der Merwe, were the strike bowlers for their respective teams.
Fortuin opened the bowling more often than not for the Paarl Royals and ended the tournament with 14 wickets across 11 innings. His economy of 6.45 was the best for his unit.
The 38-year young van der Merwe was the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 20 scalps across just ten games. The South African-turned-Dutch international had a thrifty economy of just 5.61, the best in the league (among bowlers who bowled more than 11 overs).
Another bowler who ended the season with 20 scalps is Anrich Nortje, who expectedly bamboozled several opposition batters due to his sheer pace. The wrecker-in-chief for the Capitals, Nortje averaged a great 13.25 and even had a terrific economy of 6.19.
Best XI of SA20 2023
Jos Buttler, Faf du Plessis, Will Jacks, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klassen (wk), Jimmy Neesham, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Roelof van der Merwe and Anrich Nortje