Former England captain Eoin Morgan believes the SA20 league will create “domestic heroes”.
The 36-year-old retired from international cricket earlier this year after 363 white-ball matches for England and it was his playbook that provided the platform for Jos Buttler’s team to annex the T20 World Cup in Australia last month.
Morgan and Buttler, along with fellow 2019 World Cup winner Jason Roy, will be reunited at the Paarl Royals next month for the inaugural SA20, and it’s this vast championship-winning experience that coach JP Duminy can rely on at Boland Park.
“I can’t wait. It’s unbelievably exciting coming back to a country that I love playing in, and have played quite a bit in for the last six or seven years,” Morgan said.
“To be teaming up with my very good friends Jos Buttler and Jason Roy is something I’m looking forward to. But not only that, the tournament and the time of year allows us all to bring our families and share the experience of not only touring a beautiful country, but also playing cricket’s most popular format.”
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Morgan ranks high on the list of global T20 franchise pioneers, having early on committed to improving his craft by playing in virtually every league in the world, and often in its debut seasons.
He has witnessed the exponential growth of franchise cricket and particularly the impact it has had on domestic players outside of the various national teams. He believes SA20 can unearth similar home-grown heroes.
“Some of the most exciting tournaments that I have played in, I have played in their inaugural year,” Morgan said. “Things are very raw, things are very exciting.
“One of the biggest attributes that a strong domestic tournament brings is an opportunity for domestic players to pit themselves against the very best and biggest names in the world.
“I envisage this tournament laying on that platform and what it creates actually is something that cannot be replicated in countries that don’t have high profile tournaments. It creates domestic heroes.
“In countries that have strong T20 tournaments, or Hundred tournaments, you have players that don’t necessarily get opportunities in international cricket but they become household names over the first couple of years.”
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And despite not being on the same team, and the “horrible” prospect of possibly having to face his fellow World Cup-winning teammate when the Royals meet MI Cape Town in the SA20 tournament-opener at Newlands on 10 January, Morgan is excited that fast bowler Jofra Archer is back on the park again after a long-term injury.
“Bowlers have it tough. They have the hardest job by a long way. And given the amount of hours the majority of fast bowlers spend out of their career with injury, I think Jofra has been dealt a really bad hand. He has been through some unbelievably tough times.
“But tough times don’t determine the outcome of somebody’s career, tough people do, and Jofra Archer is one of those tough people who show character and resilience to come out on the other side even stronger. It’s going to be unbelievable to watch, and horrible to play against.”
The SA20 league will take place in six iconic locations in South Africa – Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Gqeberha, Cape Town and Paarl – with the final set for the Wanderers in Johannesburg on 11 February.
