2018 Africa T20 Cup

Africa T20 Cup
Dates14 – 24 September 2018
Administrator(s)Cricket South Africa
Cricket formatTwenty20
Tournament format(s)Group stage, playoffs
Host(s) South Africa
ChampionsGauteng (1st title)
Participants20
Matches43
Most runsMarco Marais (359)
Most wicketsNandre Burger (11)
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The 2018 Africa T20 Cup was the fourth and final edition of the Africa T20 Cup, a Twenty20 cricket tournament. It was held in South Africa in September 2018, as a curtain-raiser to the 2018–19 South African domestic season.[1] Provincial side KwaZulu-Natal Inland were the defending champions.[2][3]

Organised by Cricket South Africa, the tournament was played between twenty teams.[4] Sixteen of these teams had participated in previous years – thirteen South African provincial teams, national representative sides of Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe[5] – and they were joined by South African teams Limpopo and Mpumalanga along with Nigeria[6] and Uganda.[7] The invitation was initially extended to Ghana, but they declined.[7]

Uganda's captain, Roger Mukasa, said it would give the team "a priceless chance to get international exposure" ahead of the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament.[8]

On the opening day of the tournament, Marco Marais scored an unbeaten century for Border against Namibia in Group C.[9] In Group D, Shane Dadswell scored 98 runs from 34 balls for North West, which Cricket South Africa described as "the performance of the day".[10] On the second day, Marais scored his second century, making 106 not out.[11] Wihan Lubbe also scored a century, batting for North West against Limpopo in Group D.[12] In the same match, North West scored 262 runs, the second-highest score in T20 cricket.[12]

Following the conclusion of the group stage of the tournament, Easterns, Gauteng, Border and North West had all progressed to the semi-finals of the competition.[13] Gauteng and North West were drawn together in the first semi-final, with Border and Easterns playing each other in the second semi-final.[14] The matches took place at Buffalo Park in East London.[14]

In the first semi-final, Gauteng beat North West by 27 runs to progress to the final.[15] They were joined by Border, after they beat Easterns by 7 wickets in the second semi-final.[16] Gauteng won the tournament, beating Border by three wickets in the final.[17][18]

For the next season, the tournament was replaced with the returning CSA Provincial T20 Cup, last played in the 2015–16 season, and featuring only the South African domestic provincial teams.[19][20]

  1. ^ "T20 league excitement for KZN". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  2. ^ "KZN Inland beat Free State to win Africa T20 Cup Title". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Africa T20 Cup: Group A Preview". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  4. ^ "CSA launches expanded Africa T20 Cup". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  5. ^ "CSA launches expanded Africa T20 Cup". Cricket365. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Ghana and Nigeria set to join Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South African domestic sides in expanded Africa T20 Cup". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Uganda replaces Ghana in upcoming Africa T20 Cup". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Cricket Cranes captain Mukasa welcomes Africa T20 Cup invite". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  9. ^ "EP making a flying start but African challengers stay in touch". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Dadswell stars but Northern Cape control Pool D". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Marais blasts second century but EP remain in control". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Lubbe hits century but Northern Cape edge towards semi". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Africa T20 Cup semi-finalists decided". SA Cricket Mag. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  14. ^ a b "CSA conducts draw for Africa T20 Cup semi-finals". Cricket South Africa. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Bavuma and Mulder star as Gauteng reach Africa T20 Cup final". Independent Online. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Brutal Border book safe passage to final". SA Cricket Mag. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  17. ^ "Gauteng clinch Africa T20 Cup". SA Cricket Mag. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Pongolo helps Gauteng seal maiden Africa T20 Cup title". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 24 September 2018.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "CSA plans to boot out African teams from Africa T20 Cup". Sport24. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Western Province Name Squad for CSA Provincial T20 Cup". Cricket World. Retrieved 10 September 2019.