Johannesburg [South Africa], January 28 : Former South African captain and SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith hailed young Proteas batter Dewald Brevis for his valiant century in the final of the fourth season of SA20 against Sunrisers Eastern Cape, pointing out that this season, there was a lot of hunger in players to win.
The SA20 season 4 was a memorable one as Brevis pulled his side out of trouble from a position of 1/2, smashing a 56-ball 101 with eight fours and seven sixes, single-handedly taking his side to 158/7. Pretoria Capitals had SEC on the ropes at 48/4, but sensational knocks from Matthew Breetzke (68) and skipper Tristan Stubbs (63*) took the side to six wicket win with four balls left in hand, giving them their third SA20 title.
Speaking during a 'Media Day' felicitated by SA20 after the tournament, Smith said that the final was an emotional affair lauded Brevis, Breetzke and Stubbs, three rising stars of Proteas' Gen-Next for their performances. He even pointed out that how he had a chat with a "traditionalist of the game" and he termed it as "one of the best hundreds across all the formats in many, many years".
"It was emotional, especially when you see how Brevis played in the final. I chatted to him briefly after the game, but I have not had much time with him because it has been manic. I was speaking to someone who is very much a traditionalist of the game, and they said it was one of the best hundreds they have seen across all formats in many, many years. He played an incredible innings and almost single-handedly got his team to that total. With four overs to go, it looked like the Capitals' game, but Stubbs and Breetzke played brilliantly in the final overs to get the Sunrisers home," he said.
Smith said that during the final and the tournament in general, the player's passion and hunger to win left him impressed, breaking many myths about franchise cricket not being the most serious form of cricket. He went on to term SA20 as the "best league outside the IPL".
"What stood out for me was the passion. Sometimes, people think players do not care about franchise cricket, but this season we saw the hunger to win. Players were intense, there were competitive moments, and fans truly got behind their teams. That passion was incredible to see. You could see what it meant to the Sunrisers, and how disappointed the Pretoria Capitals were. That tells me we are building a very strong and credible league, and I would say the best league outside the IPL," he concluded.