The Africa T20 Cup was a Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by Cricket South Africa. It featured a combination of South African provincial teams and teams representing other African countries, including Kenya, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. It ran for four years before being replaced by the CSA Provincial T20 Cup.
The first edition of the tournament was played in September and October 2015, as a precursor to the 2015–16 South African domestic season. It was won by Northerns, which defeated KwaZulu-Natal Inland in the final by seven wickets.Africa T20 Cup, Final: Northerns v KwaZulu-Natal Inland at Bloemfontein, Oct 4, 2015, ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 August 2016. The second edition of the tournament was played in September and October 2016."CSA announces draw for Africa T20 Cup 2016" , Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 23 August 2016. It was won by Eastern Province, who defeated Northern Cape in the final by 31 runs.
Background The Africa T20 Cup has been characterised as "essentially a showcase in cricket development".Antoinette Muller (22 April 2015). "Africa T20 Cup: A mixed bag, but good news on the whole" – Daily Maverick. Retrieved 31 August 2015. The South African teams have various restrictions on the composition of their squads – they had to feature no more than four players from the professional franchises, at least two players under the age of 21, and at least six players of colour (including at least three Black Africans).Africa T20 Cup Match Programme – Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 1 September 2015. The Africa T20 Cup partially filled the gap left in the South African calendar by the cancellation of the Champions League Twenty20. The SuperSport television network, a major sponsor of Cricket South Africa, was the tournament's broadcaster.Stuart Hess (30 August 2015). "Superstars to spice up Africa Cup" – iol Sport. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
Expansion In 2016, it was suggested that the Africa T20 Cup would be expanded in the future to include other African countries, such as Uganda."Africa T20 Cup is about unearthing gems", IOL, 27 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2016. For the 2018 edition, the number of teams was increased from 16 to 20, with the addition of the South African teams of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, along with national representation from Ghana and Nigeria. However, Ghana declined Cricket South Africa's invite to compete in the tournament, and were replaced by Uganda.
Results YearTeamsFinal venueResultWinnerMargin 2015 16 Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein Northerns107/3 (18 overs) Northerns won by 7 wicketsscorecard KwaZulu-Natal Inland103/8 (20 overs) 2016 16 Recreation Ground, Oudtshoorn Eastern Province165/6 (20 overs) Eastern Province won by 31 runsscorecard Northern Cape134/9 (20 overs) 2017 16 Diamond Oval, Kimberley KwaZulu-Natal Inland129/4 (17.5 overs) KwaZulu-Natal Inland won by 6 wicketsscorecard Free State128/5 (20 overs) 2018 20 Buffalo Park, East London Gauteng131/7 (19.2 overs) Gauteng won by 3 wicketsscorecard Border130 (20 overs)
Teams
Boland Border Eastern Province Easterns Free State Gauteng Kenya KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal Inland Limpopo
Mpumalanga Namibia Nigeria Northern Cape Northerns North West South Western Districts Uganda Western Province Zimbabwe/Zimbabwe Development XI
See also CSA Provincial Competitions Ram Slam T20 Challenge
References