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Cricket set to return to South Africa with 3TeamCricket format experiment | How does the South Africa 3TeamCricket tournament work?

Cricket is set to South Africa post the coronavirus pandemic with an all-new format in the form of 3TeamCricket. The match, scheduled for the 27th of June, will be an exhibition match. The 3 teams- Kingfishers, Hawks, and Eagles- will be led by AB De Villiers, Quinton De Kock and Kagiso Rabada respectively in the Solidarity Cup.

However, the tournament is still pending government approval. At the moment, the South African government is allowing training of non-contact sports and matches, but the organisers need to submit a detailed plan which is subject to approval from the country’s sports department.

The money raised from the game will be going to the cricket hardship fund, and help the people in the cricketing fraternity which have suffered due to the enforced break of COVID-19.

According to ESPNCricinfo, Dale Steyn is unavailable due to back niggles. Also, no player will be compelled to participate in the event by Cricket South Africa (CSA).

How 3TeamCricket works:

• 3 teams of 8 players each compete against each other in a single match of 36 overs.
• The match will be divided into 2 halves of 18 overs each.
• Each team bats for 12 overs, facing six overs from each of their opponents’ attacks. Bowlers are allowed to be a maximum of 3 overs. 
• In the second half of their innings, teams will bat in order of the highest scores made in the first half. If the scores are tied, the order of batting is reversed.
• After the fall of the 7th wicket, the last batter stays at the crease and can score even number of runs. If a side is seven-down by the end of the first half of their innings, the last batter resumes in the second half.
• The team scoring the most runs will be awarded Gold Medal and the 2nd best and 3rd best team will be getting Silver and Bronze medal. In case of tie for most runs, there will be a Super Over. If all teams end in a tie, all will be awarded a gold medal.

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While there is an air of excitement surrounding the return of AB De Villiers to Cricket activities in South Africa, the former South african captain made it clear that the future plans of involvement with the South African national team are yet to be decided.

“Decisions about involvement with CSA [Cricket South Africa] over the next 12 months haven’t been decided on yet. That will happen over the next few months once we start playing cricket again. I have had some discussions with ‘Bouch’ [South Africa coach Mark Boucher] and [CSA director of cricket] Graeme [Smith] in the past few months but nothing has been decided yet. It would be silly to have made some decisions in the middle of the lockdown when no one knows where we’re heading with cricket,” the 36-year old said in an online press conference to launch the exhibition match.

“As players we don’t know what to expect [from 3TC], but that makes it really exciting,” De Villiers added as he was excited about the last man standing rule. “As a youngster, I always dreamt of being that last man standing and winning the game for your team. I hope I get the opportunity; to try manipulate the field and play with the bowler’s mind. The gladiatorial feel is going to be fantastic, where you can single-handedly find a way to win the game.”

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The idea originated in the minds of Paul Harris; not the left arm spinner who played for South Africa earlier in the decade, but a multi-mullionaire who owns 22 companies while playing a card game.

“It’s as simple as playing cards with my family,” the 69 year-old banker said. “We were in three teams, and suddenly I said, ‘What about cricket?’. I’ve always been intrigued with how to develop the game. How do you actually get teams that perhaps aren’t as competitive as others into playing with the better teams? How do you get clubs and schools that haven’t got the facilities involved and competing at the highest level?

“That was the end of the card game, and off I went and spent hours and hours puzzling it out. Then I phoned these amazing people.”

Supersport has decided to broadcast the match and bear the production value for the same. While Graeme Smith said that CSA is in talks with broadcasters all over the world to telecast it.

“The goal is to have it televised worldwide,” Smith said. “We are in discussion with all of our broadcast partners at the moment. They have been starved of cricket as well.”

Teams:

KG’s Kingfishers: Kagiso Rabada (captain), Faf du Plessis, Chris Morris, Tabraiz Shamsi, Reeza Hendricks, Janneman Malan, Heinrich Klaasen, Glenton Stuurman.

Quinny’s Kites: Quinton de Kock (captain), David Miller, Temba Bavuma, Anrich Nortje, Dwayne Pretorius, Beuran Hendricks, JJ Smuts, Lutho Sipamla.

AB’s Eagles: AB de Villiers (captain), Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Andile, Phehlukwayo, Rassie van der Dussen, Junior Dala, Kyle Verreynne, Sisanda Magala.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

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