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The Citizen
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Franchises confirm 30 players for fourth season of SA20 league
The remaining 84 slots in the respective squads will be confirmed at the player auction in Johannesburg on 9 September. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been announced as a wildcard pick by defending champions MI Cape Town for next season's SA20 league. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images A total of 24 players have either been retained or pre-signed contracts with SA20 teams, while all six wildcard players have also been announced, ahead of next season's fourth edition of the popular T20 league. Each of the six franchises were permitted a maximum of six retained or pre-signed players, comprising a maximum of three South African and three overseas players, during the player retention window which closed last week. In addition, each franchise was allowed a wildcard pick, which could be any player who was part of the team's squad in season three. The list of 30 players, which were released on Wednesday, included 17 foreigners and 13 South Africans. Upcoming auction The remaining 84 slots in the respective squads were set to be confirmed at the player auction in Johannesburg on 9 September, where the franchises had a collective maximum purse of R131 million they could still spend on compiling their squads. Notable South African players available to be picked up at the auction include Proteas World Test Championship final heroes Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj, along with top young talent Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka. T20 specialists Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi are also available. 'When the league first drafted its regulations in season one, we always saw this forthcoming season as an opportunity for a strategic reset, and this is exactly where we envisioned being,' said SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith. 'There's now a strong balance between pre-signed and retained international and Proteas players, alongside a significant purse available for the auction. 'After three seasons, the franchises have developed a good understanding of the South Africa cricket ecosystem and adopted a distinct strategy which sets the stage for the most exciting auction yet.' The 2025/26 SA20 league will be held between 26 December and 26 January, shortly ahead of the T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka in February. Signed players and remaining salary caps Durban's Super Giants (R29.5 million): Sunil Narine, Noor Ahmad, Jos Buttler, Heinrich Klaasen (wildcard) Joburg Super Kings (R21.5 million): Faf Du Plessis, James Vince, Akeal Hosein, Richard Gleeson, Donovan Ferreira (wildcard) MI Cape Town (R11.5 million): Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran, Kagiso Rabada (wildcard) Paarl Royals (R14.5 million): Lhuan-dre Pretorius, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sikandar Raza, Rubin Hermann (wildcard) Pretoria Capitals (R32.5 million): Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell (Wildcard) Sunrisers Eastern Cape (R21,5 million): Tristan Stubbs, Allah Ghazanfar, Adam Milne, Jonny Bairstow, Marco Jansen (wildcard)
Int'l Cricket Council
3 days ago
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
ECB awarded hosting rights for the next three WTC Finals ICC World Test Championship
ECB will host the next three World Test Championship Finals following the successful hosting of the 2021, 2023 and most recent 2025 final. The first three editions of the WTC Final were held at different venues in England, with Lord's hosting the 2025 final where South Africa beat Australia by five wickets last month. South Africa beat Australia to seize the Ultimate Test | Full Match Highlights | WTC25 Final Watch the full match highlights as Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada led the way as South Africa bested the defending champions Australia to clinch the World Test Championship mace at Lord's. The decision was confirmed at the ICC's annual conference in Singapore this week and means the ECB will host the 2027, 2029 and 2031 finals following a successful track record in hosting recent finals. NewsICC World Test ChampionshipICC World Test Championship, 2025/27
Express Tribune
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
ICC names Aiden Markram men's player of the month
Listen to article South Africa's Aiden Markram has been named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for June 2025, following his match-winning performance in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia at Lord's. Markram edged out fellow nominees, his teammate Kagiso Rabada and Sri Lanka's top-order batter Pathum Nissanka, to claim the monthly honour. The 30-year-old opener played a crucial role in helping the Proteas lift their first senior ICC trophy in 27 years. He scored a magnificent 136 in the fourth innings of the WTC Final and also contributed with the ball, taking two important wickets, including that of Steve Smith, to set up a historic win for South Africa. Reacting to the award, Markram said: 'It is a privilege to receive this award. To contribute to an ICC World Test Championship win for our team and South Africa is something that means a lot to me. Winning the final at Lord's is a historic moment for South African cricket, and it is something we will all remember forever. This victory was only possible due to the combined efforts of the entire team, with crucial contributions from KG (Kagiso Rabada) and Tembs (Temba Bavuma).' Although Markram was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, he bounced back strongly in the second. Chasing a target of 282, he guided the Proteas through a tense fourth innings, showing composure and maturity. His partnerships with Wiaan Mulder and Temba Bavuma kept the innings steady, especially after the early loss of Ryan Rickelton. When Bavuma faced an injury scare during the chase, Markram offered constant support. He eventually departed after scoring 136, anchoring the innings with control and calmness. Before shining with the bat, Markram made a vital impact with the ball, breaking a strong partnership by dismissing Steve Smith with just his sixth delivery. He later removed Josh Hazlewood in the second innings to wrap up Australia's innings. This memorable performance helped South Africa clinch their maiden ICC World Test Championship title, and Markram's all-round efforts rightly earned him the ICC Men's Player of the Month award.
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Aiden Markram, Hayley Matthews named ICC Players of the Month for June
South Africa batter Aiden Markram and West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews were announced as the winners of the ICC Men's and Women's Player of the Month awards respectively for June 2025. Markram won the men's award ahead of teammate Kagiso Rabada and Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka for his Player of the Match effort in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia at Lord's. The 30-year-old opener struck a solid 136 off 207 balls and featured in a 147-run third-wicket stand with captain Temba Bavuma in a successful chase of 282. The five-wicket victory helped South Africa win an ICC title for the first time in 27 years. Markram also picked up a wicket each in both innings. Matthews, who has previously won the awards in November 2021, October 2023 and April 2024, edged South Africa's Tazmin Brits and compatriot Afy Fletcher to become only the second player to win the award four times after Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner. The West Indies skipper scored 104 runs in the three ODIs against South Africa, which included a half-century in the third match. She also grabbed four wickets in the series. Her fine run continued in the subsequent 2-1 T20I series win. She was named Player of the Series for her two fifties in an aggregate of 147 runs and two wickets. Markram said: 'It is a privilege to receive this award. To contribute to an ICC World Test Championship win for our team and South Africa is something that means a lot to me. 'Winning the final at Lord's is a historic moment for South African cricket, and it is something we will all remember forever. This victory was only possible due to the combined efforts of the entire team, with crucial contributions from KG (Kagiso Rabada) and Tembs (Temba Bavuma).' Matthews said: 'It's an honour to receive the Player of the Month award again. I've been pleased with my form recently, but more importantly, it's been great to contribute to the team's success—especially in a hard-fought T20I series against South Africa. 'Recognition like this is appreciated, but my focus remains on what's ahead. There's a lot more I want to achieve, both personally and with this team. We're heading in the right direction, and I'm excited about where we can go from here.' Both players were crowned following a vote conducted among global fans com and a specialist panel comprising former international players and media representatives.
Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Times
Jofra Archer enters ring to take on Jasprit Bumrah in heavyweight contest
Top-class fast bowlers elevate a contest. A month ago the World Test Championship final was blessed by Kagiso Rabada and Pat Cummins, two of the best, and now, with the series tantalisingly positioned, Lord's prepares to open its arms to Jasprit Bumrah, the world's best fast bowler, and Jofra Archer, who continues to be spoken of in this company, despite very limited recent evidence. It is a mouthwatering prospect. High summer and a warm forecast. A great ground. A pitch, green-tinged and the subject of some speculation after England's stated desire for more pace and movement. A full house guaranteed for four days and two teams, coming back to near-full strength, that have probed at each other's weaknesses, and who are ready to strike what they hope will be the decisive blow. After a four-year absence, Archer's return is eagerly awaited. Ben Stokes could not disguise his delight when confirming the selection in place of Josh Tongue, welcoming back someone, he said, who can change the mood of a game in an instant. Judging by the warm reaction Archer received at Edgbaston, when he ran drinks around the boundary edge, it is a feeling that will be shared by England supporters. Stokes said he saw no reason why Archer could not be as good as before. While admitting that every cricketer risks injury when they play, Stokes was quick to play down the gamble of picking someone who has bowled only 18 overs in first-class cricket in the past four years, referencing the painstaking planning that has gone into readying Archer for this moment. 'If we did not think he was ready, he would not be selected,' Stokes said. Will Archer be given the new ball alongside Chris Woakes, gliding in from the Pavilion End as he did so memorably on debut in 2019, when he felled Steve Smith, putting him out of the game? England's attack has looked flat for two run-drenched games and Archer has been picked to inject some fizz after a heavy defeat where an opposition batsman carried all before him, as was the case six years ago. As with Smith, the hope will be that Archer can challenge Shubman Gill in a way England's other seamers have so far been unable to do. Having made 585 runs in two Tests, Gill is on the kind of run enjoyed by few in the history of the game, but Archer has a decent 'head-to-head' match-up against him, having dismissed him twice in three innings in the 2021 series. Gill has not looked hurried at all yet, and Stokes wants that to change. All that said, there are so many reasons why expectations should be managed sensibly. The first is the length of the absence; it is 1,596 days since he last played Test cricket. Second are the injuries to his back and elbow, the curse of the fast bowler. Third is that despite a carefully planned return, limited-overs cricket has nothing on the hard grind of Test cricket. And, finally, it should be remembered that his average before all this was 31 and his strike rate 62 — numbers that suggest a bowler who endured periods of ineffectiveness too. Yet Archer, 30, is often spoken of in reverential terms, and continues to be so despite these reservations. There are reasons for this: he has attributes that are rare in English cricket; he has bowled some electrifying spells that have stayed long in the memory, and lengthy periods out of the team play tricks on the way we think of players. In their absence, we remember their best days, not those where they made little impact at all. At his best, he was certainly exhilarating: quick, menacing and skilful. The two most memorable passages of play in Test cricket at Lord's in recent years were in 2021, when Virat Kohli told his players to 'unleash' hell — a feeling that India will be sure to tap into over the next five days — and in 2019, when Archer squared off against Smith. But will he be as quick and as good as before? Is he physically ready for Test cricket? These are unknowns and it all adds to the intrigue this week. There is plenty more to whet the appetite, not least the focus on Stokes after such a gruelling defeat at Edgbaston. What will he do if he wins the toss? A greenish pitch, but one that has been noticeably slow in first-class cricket this year; a hot forecast; recent results that suggest teams can chase well, but a heavy defeat after putting India in last week — these are all confusing indicators. Can the captain rediscover his batting form, and tap into the feeling that brought him Ashes hundreds on this ground in 2019 and 2023? While Stokes gave no indication that he will wrap Archer in cotton wool — and there will be times, when a captain senses the moment, when even a fast bowler must be stretched — he will not overbowl him. So this is also a big match for Woakes, who, with three wickets at more than 90 apiece, has looked short of snap; for Brydon Carse, who struggled with his bowling boots and feet at Edgbaston, and for Shoaib Bashir, who has been milked happily by India's batsmen so far. The temptation to play Gus Atkinson has been resisted, but he will surely be ready for Old Trafford. While England welcome Archer's return, with fingers and toes crossed, India are strengthened even more by Bumrah's anticipated return. They held their nerve and resisted the temptation to play him having lost the opening game — everyone, without exception, urged otherwise — and were well served by his replacement, Akash Deep. The psychological lift of winning without Bumrah was huge and Deep will surely keep his place at the expense of Prasidh Krishna, and will probably use the slope to good effect given the way he moved the ball off the seam in Birmingham. It was, oddly, as a batsman not bowler that Bumrah made most impact in this corresponding fixture two years ago, when he helped Mohammed Shami add 89 for the last wicket, a critical factor in a famous win. But he also showed his nasty side as a bowler, when going after James Anderson towards the end of England's first innings with some rapid bouncers, adding to the drama and spectacle, as fast bowlers always do. Bumrah back. Archer back. All to play for. Bring it on. England v India
