Proteas legend, AB de Villiers, believes the Betway SA20 comes at the perfect time for South African cricket.

The inaugural League, featuring six newly-constructed teams, will launch on Tuesday, 10 January at Newlands with the opening local derby between MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals setting up an explosive start to South African cricket’s new-kid-on-the-block.

The first match at SuperSport Park of the Centurion-based team, the Pretoria Capitals, is scheduled for Saturday 14 January. However, this team, which will be led by Wayne Parnell, will play their first match of the tournament on Thursday 12 January in Port Elizabeth against the local team from the Eastern Cape, the Sunrizers.

De Villiers, who has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception in 2008, says the SA20 is just the boost the game requires in South Africa.

“I think the Betway SA20 comes at a really good time for South African cricket. We have seen the amazing things that these leagues have done to cricket. To give our youngsters this base and the foundation to get exposure at the highest level against the best players in the world is what it’s all about,” De Villiers said.

Among the youngsters that De Villiers will be keeping a close eye on is MI Cape Town’s young batting sensation, Dewald Brevis, who plays for the Titans in domestic leagues.

The 19-year-old has been a revelation since bursting on the scene during the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup last year when he shattered Shikhar Dhawan’s tournament record for the most runs.

He has since carried this form into the IPL, Caribbean Premier League and most notably in Cricket SA’s T20 Challenge competition when he blasted 162 off just 57 balls.

De Villiers believes Brevis’ development will be greatly aided by playing alongside England’s T20 World Cup winners such as Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone in the same way he learnt from grizzled veterans such as Australian superstar Glenn McGrath when he first joined the IPL in 2008.

“It was a huge occasion for me and a lot of the other players. The start of the IPL changed our lives. The people are really passionate about cricket. Not only with the home team but they support members in other teams as well,” De Villiers said.

The biggest thing that stands out for him are the people that he met.

“I think of Glenn McGrath and the time I spent with him. He was this hard guy and all of a sudden, I am sitting with him in the changeroom and having a beer with him,” De Villiers remarked.

De Villiers was also full of praise for his former national team captain Graeme Smith, who in his role as Betway SA20 League commissioner, has ensured South Africa will also now have a T20 league to rival the best in the world.

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