The ongoing SA20 2025 Qualifier 2 between Paarl Royals (PR) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) in Centurion is not only important because the winner will face MI Cape Town in the final clash, but it also turned out to be the 100th game in League’s history. Inaugurated in 2023, SA20 has now reached the milestone of 100th match as defending champions SEC face PR in the second qualifier. Former Proteas cricketer Graeme Smith, who is also League Commissioner in SA20, shared his thoughts on the eve of the 100th SA20 match.
Graeme Smith reflected on the hard work put by the South African board to lay the foundation for the SA20 League and how the league gained huge fan base across the globe. “It is incredible that we are sitting here 100th games of SA20, I think about how much work we had to build it initially to bring back confidence in SA cricket, people who trusted us in the beginning and what were building, six franchises and the fans who turned up in numbers. The other exciting thing is in SA we introduced a lot of new fans to cricket [via SA20], it is going to be a goosebump moment good time to reflect on what we built," Smith was quoted as saying by News18.
We’ve seen the quality grow year on year: Graeme Smith on SA20
Since its inception in 2023, the SA20 went on to become one of the most popular T20 leagues in the world. The fans also compared the league with the most popular Indian Premier League. Speaking further, Graeme Smith also recalled how he used to focus on opening match of every venue in the first season in 2023 and how the quality of the league went on to grow with every season.
“My massive highlight in that initial period was the opening game at each stadium in the first season. I’ll never ever forget those goosebump moments," Smith said.
“We’ve seen the quality grow year on year," Smith noted. “And we’ve seen the South African talent come through, which is something that we always wanted to do." the former cricketer added.
