• Cape Town set for Stokes show in SA20

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    England all-rounder Ben Stokes is among three big signings announced by MI Cape Town on Wednesday for the 2025 SA20 season.

    The 33-year-old will be joined in Cape Town by New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult and Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai.

    Stokes is set to return to a happy hunting ground, Newlands, where he produced one of the greatest Test innings of all time when he struck a majestic 258 from 198 balls against the Proteas.

    He is pure box-office and arguably the biggest global superstar in the game.

    Stokes took England over the line in the epic 2019 ODI World Cup final at Lord’s, where he struck an undefeated 84 to help the host nation level the scores with New Zealand, before coming out to bat again in the most famous Super Over of all time.

    Stokes was also at the crease to strike the winning runs when England defeated Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final at the MCG three years later.

    Overall, Stokes has scored 3,023 runs in 159 T20 matches at an average of 24.77 at a strike rate of 133.23. He has also claimed 90 wickets at an average of 30.38.

    Stokes is currently injured after tearing a hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, but is expected to be fully-fit for Englandโ€™s tour of Pakistan in October.

    MI Cape Town’s other pre-signed overseas players are Afghanistan captain and spinner Rashid Khan, Sri Lankan pace bowler Nuwan Thushara and SA-born English wicketkeeper-batsman Chris Benjamin.

    Their pre-signed domestic players are Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Delano Potgieter, Thomas Kaber and Connor Esterhuizen.

    2025 SA20 squads: Whoโ€™s in, whoโ€™s out

    Photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

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    Simon Borchardt