SA20 will create domestic heroes, says former England captain Eoin Morgan

oi-Sauradeep Ash

Eoin
Morgan’s
footprint
will
forever
be
imprinted
in
England
cricket’s
history.

The
Dublin-born
left-hander
brought
“cricket
home”
when
he
became
the
first
England
captain
to
raise
the
ICC
Men’s
World
Cup
trophy
above
his
head
on
an
unforgettable
balmy
Sunday
at
Lord’s
in
2019.

But
Morgan’s
legacy
goes
far
beyond
delivering
the
Holy
Grail.
He
revolutionised
England’s
approach
to
white-ball
cricket,
and
provided
the
support,
motivation
and
encouragement
that
has
unleashed
a
whole
new
generation
of
young
English
cricketers
who
play
the
game
without
any
fear.

And
although
the
36-year-old
retired
from
international
cricket
midway
through
this
year
after
363
white-ball
matches
for
England,
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
season,
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/seven
years,”
Morgan
said.

“To
be
teaming
up
with
my
very
good
friends,
Jos
Buttler
and
Jason
Roy,
is
something
I
am
looking
forward
to.
But
not
only
that,
the
tournament
and
the
time
of
year,
it’s
over
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.”

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,
things
are
very
raw,
things
are
very
exciting,
and
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,”
Morgan
said.

“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.”

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
January
10,
Morgan
is
excited
that
fast
bowler
Jofra
Archer
is
back
in
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,”
Morgan
further
added.

“But
tough
times
don’t
determine
the
outcome
of
somebody’s
career,
and
tough
people
do,
and
Jofra
Archer
is
one
of
those
tough
people
that
show
character
and
resilience
to
come
out
on
the
other
side
even
stronger.
And
on
a
bigger
picture,
it’s
going
to
be
unbelievable
to
watch,
and
horrible
to
play
against,”
he
concluded.

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
February
11.

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