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)
2017
2019

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.