MI Cape Town have broken the bank in securing England Test captain Ben Stokes for the forthcoming SA20 Season 3.
The Newlands-based side are renowned for their big-name signings.
There is arguably none more box-office outside of Indian superstar trio Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah than the English all-rounder within the global game.
Stokes’ pedigree is second to none, with the 33-year-old forming a formidable component of England’s 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup-winning teams.
He is pure ‘X-factor’, and his penchant for playing the big moments could not be better illustrated than in the epic 2019 World Cup final at Lord’s.
The Telegraph in England reported that Stokes’ deal with the MI franchise is worth £800 000 – approximately R18.5 million.
Stokes is likely to become an instant crowd favourite at Newlands due to his all-action style of play, where the faithful will also fondly remember him entertaining them at the foot of Table Mountain back in 2016, when he struck a swashbuckling 258 off 198 balls in the New Year’s Test against the Proteas.
🔥 𝐁𝚰𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐍 🤝 ⚡𝓣𝓱𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓽
— MI Cape Town (@MICapeTown) August 14, 2024
Cape Town, your new heroes are here! 💙 #OneFamily #MICapeTown pic.twitter.com/Hk5S3NtjGM
MI Cape Town will be hoping that Stokes, who is currently on the sidelines with an injured hamstring, can make an immediate impact after the Newlands-based side missed out on the play-offs in successive seasons.
Stokes will, of course, not be able to do it single-handedly, with MI Cape Town therefore also bringing back Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan for next season.
Rashid captained the side in the inaugural SA20 season, but was unfortunately ruled out with a back injury last season, with West Indies veteran Kieron Pollard taking over the leadership reins.
Pollard has not been retained for the third season, with MI Cape Town instead opting for Rashid’s Afghanistan teammate Azmatullah Omarzai.
The 24-year-old is fresh off a successful campaign in the Global T20 Canada, where he topped the wicket-takers’ list for the Montreal Tigers.
They have also been joined by New Zealand’s premier swing bowler Trent Boult and South African-born Englishman Chris Benjamin.
📍 may change, but 𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗧⚡️ is permanent! 😎
Yes, it’s going to be lekker, Boulty. 💙 #OneFamily #MICapeTown #SA20 pic.twitter.com/wPmpV9nZdT
There will certainly be a strong Afghan flavour in the Western Cape during next season’s SA20, with local rivals Paarl Royals unveiling mystery spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman yesterday too.
Mujeeb, Rashid and Azmatullah were all part of the first Afghanistan team to reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals earlier this year, where they ultimately fell short against the Proteas.
Mujeeb, 23, is a vastly experienced T20 campaigner, having played in all the major franchise leagues around the world.
He will relish the opportunity to unleash his bag of spin tricks at the Royals’ home ground, Boland Park, which has developed a reputation as a slow bowler’s paradise.
Mujeeb will fill the void left by Proteas wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who was traded to the Joburg Super Kings for all-rounder Dayyaan Galiem, and will form a potent spin trio with Bjorn Fortuin and the exciting young leg-spinner Nqaba Peter.
The never-say-never Afghan attitude, coming soon to Paarl in the form of Mujeeb ur Rahman! 🇦🇫🔥💗 pic.twitter.com/QLjU5VgXN1
— Paarl Royals (@paarlroyals) August 14, 2024
“Mujeeb is an impressive young man who has performed in the best leagues around the world,” said Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara.
“He has the ability to deceive batters with his variety and pick up crucial wickets, and as his stats state, he can be very economical as well.
“He adds a lot of depth and variety to our spin-bowling department, and we are all very excited to have him make a real impact at the Paarl Royals.”