We rank the top performers of this year’s T20 Challenge.
JJ Smuts:
The Warriors captain was the focal point of his side’s dominance in this year’s T20 Challenge. Besides topping the standings for most runs this campaign, Smuts was one of two centurions in this year’s tournament. Only David Miller (120 not out) set a higher score than Smuts (107 not out) in this year’s competition. He managed to score 371 runs at an average of 41.22 with a strike rate of 144.35, hitting a total of 21 sixes.
Smuts also managed to pick up nine wickets at an average of 24.00. Despite leading his side to victories on more than one occasion, he ould not drag the Warriors over the line as they lost the final to the Titans by six runs. Smuts once again proved his worth in the short format of the game, after scoring the only century in Africa T20 cup history earlier this year and proving once again that he deserves a call-up to the Proteas T20 side.
Farhaan Behardien:
The Proteas batsman was the Titans’ most consistent performer. He racked up 352 runs including three fifties at an average of 117.33, tying him second with Dolphins captain Morne van Wyk. Behardien lit up the tournament in a 10-over thriller which saw his side score 80 in five overs against the Warriors. The 33-year-old smashed 55 off 15 balls which helped his side claim a six-wicket victory as well as a home final. His 14-ball half-century is the fastest 50 in T20 Challenge history and fastest by any South African in the shortest format.
Malusi Siboto:
Although the 29-year-old speedster did not top the bowling standings for the tournament, his 12 wickets for his side on road to the final was vital to their success this campaign. His best performance came in the record-setting Jukskei derby where he helped his side defend a total of 230, taking 3-27 for the Titans claim a massive 46-run victory. In the T20 Challenge final against the Warriors, who needed 12 runs to win, Siboto bowled an important last over to throttle the opposition their trophy with a six-run victory.
Hardus Viljoen:
The Lions’ speedster tops the bowling standings for this year’s tournament. His 19 wickets for his side at an average of 16.63 helped his side to a play-off for the final against the Warriors. Despite claiming his best match figures of the tournament in a five-run victory against the Warriors earlier in the competition, Viljoen could not repeat his performance as the Lions were thumped by seven wickets in the play-off for the final against the Eastern Cape-based side.
Andrew Birch:
The right-arm medium-fast bowler was the Warriors’ best performer in the tournament. He racked up 17 sticks at an average of 12.23 for his side, as well as his best ever T20 figures of 5-16. This was the only five-for of the tournament and it came in a six-wicket victory against the would-be champions earlier in the competition. For this reason, it came as a shock when he was replaced by Proteas bowler Kyle Abbott for the last couple of games.
