Jos Buttler is the top overseas target for South Africa’s new Twenty20 franchise competition
England’s new white-ball captain Jos Buttler is the top overseas target for South Africa’s new Twenty20 franchise competition
- Buttler, 31, is viewed as a trump card for the six-team competition next year
- The tournament coincides with England’s rearranged one-day series there
- The scheduling would allow England’s white-ball specialists to feature
Jos Buttler is the premier overseas target for South Africa’s new Twenty20 franchise competition.
Buttler, 31, is viewed as a trump card for the six-team competition that will run between January 12 and February 5 next year, a period which coincides with England’s rearranged one-day series there.
Such is the financial importance of their own T20 tournament, funded by broadcasters SuperSport, that Cricket South Africa on Wednesday forfeited a 50-over series in Australia that clashed with it to ensure that their A list homegrown talent is on board from the start.
Jos Buttler is premier overseas target for South Africa’s new Twenty20 franchise competition
And their pursuit of some international star dust is understood to be focused on Buttler, the leading run scorer at this year’s Indian Premier League, and other England players.
Over recent winters, Englishmen have dominated overseas quotas at Australia’s Big Bash League but the convenience of the new venture dovetailing with the three 50-over internationals – postponed in late 2020 due to Covid and now to be played on January 27, 29 and February 1 – could see a proportion including Jason Roy and Dawid Malan switch.
The scheduling would allow England’s white-ball specialists to feature in a healthy percentage of group matches plus the knockout stages.
Buttler, 31, is viewed as a trump card for the launch of the six-team competition next year
South Africa conceded 2023 World Cup qualifying points in agreeing to a 3-0 walkover by Australia – although it is yet to be ratified by the ICC.
A knock-on of the decision is that Cricket Australia re-distributed their major matches for 2022-23 and England will therefore begin the pre-Twenty20 World Cup series versus Australia in Perth on October 9 rather than Brisbane.
The second and third matches on October 12 and 14 remain in Canberra, and Buttler’s team’s World Cup campaign gets under way versus Afghanistan back in Perth eight days later.
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