Allan Donald selects three exciting pacers for SA20, praises IPL standout as 'exceptional': 'Paarl buzzing with anticipation'

Inspired by the success of the Indian Premier League, Cricket South Africa is gearing up for the third season of the SA20, their premier T20 franchise cricket tournament set to kick off on January 9. The league features six teams from different cities across the country battling it out for the ultimate glory. The Sunrisers Eastern Cape are the reigning champions, having clinched victory in the first two seasons. Led by the talented Aiden Markram, who is a familiar name to Indian cricket enthusiasts thanks to his IPL stints, the team is ready to defend their title and showcase their skills on the field once again.

The league received a good reaction in the first two seasons, with cricket fans liking the presence of quality pacers. Speaking to Hindustan Times in a media interaction, South Africa legend and SA20 Ambassador Allan Donald named three bowlers he was looking forward to watching in action at the SA20.

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“There are about three bowlers—South African bowlers—that I'm really looking forward to seeing, and those three guys are Eathen Bosch, from—he's playing for the Pretoria Capitals, and, you know, Codi Yusuf, who's playing for Paarl Royals, and young Kwena Maphaka. Those three young South Africans—Bosch, probably the more experienced—he's been around for a while. I'm really pleased for him that he's finally got a South African call-up. He's been really on the fringes and has struggled to get in there because of other guys that have been punching the lights out,” he said.

Bosch is a 26-year-old right-arm pacer, and represents Pretoria Capitals at the SA20. He was the leading wicket-taker for the Dolphins in the 2018-19 CSA 4-Day Franchise Series, with 31 wickets in nine fixtures. He has also played in four matches for Essex at the 2024 County Championship. In 40 first-class matches, he has taken 100 wickets, with three fifers. Meanwhile in 58 T20s, he has bagged 57 dismissals. Yusuf, on the other hand, is a right-arm pacer, and has taken 80 wickets in 27 first-class matches, 31 in 15 List A fixtures and 36 in 39 T20s. Yusuf plays for Paarl Royals in the competition.

Allan Donald praises South African IPL star

The legendary South African, who was known for his quick deliveries, scorching pace and seam bowling, also lavished praise on Maphaka and predicted a big future for the 18-year-old. Maphaka also represents Paarl, and is known among IPL fans and will be representing Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming season. He made his IPL debut with Mumbai Indians in 2024. But he hasn’t received much IPL chances yet, and has only featured in two matches, taking a wicket.

“So, for me, those three guys—especially Bosch, but young Kwena Maphaka, an 18-year-old—you know, I can't—I think the whole of Paarl is very excited that he's here. There's huge excitement about him being in this team. I think we're going to see a lot of him this year. Lots of experiences will be felt by Kwena Maphaka. I think he's such a talent; he is just a freak, you know. So, yeah, he's going to have some good days, and he's going to have some bad days, but he seems to have this head on his shoulders that is just very freakishly calm and not phased about too many things when it goes badly. He just wants to stay in the fight all the time. So I think he's going to be box office this coming January. I can't wait to see him being very successful, I hope,” he further added.

The upcoming SA20 will also see Dinesh Karthik become the first Indian player to feature in the competition, and will represent Paarl as an overseas player. This will also be the first tournament Karthik will play since his retirement. Karthik will join a side consisting of David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Mphaka, Yusuf and Andile Phehlukwayo.

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