SA20 will create ‘domestic heroes’, feels Eoin Morgan

Former England captain Eoin Morgan, who has played multiple leagues over the years, feels that the upcoming SA20 will create ‘domestic heroes’.Morg’n’s footprint will forever be imprinted in England cricket’s history. The Dublin-born left-hander brought ‘cricket home’ when he became the first England captain to raise the ICC Men’s World Cup trophy on an unforgettable balmy Sunday at Lo’d’s in 2019.But his legacy goes far beyond delivering the Holy Grail. He revolutionised England’s approach to white-ball cricket and provided the support, motivation and encouragement that has unleashed a whole new generation of young English cricketers who play the game without any fear.And although the 36-year-old retired from international cricket midway through this year after 363 white-ball matches for England, it was his playbook that provided the platform for Jos Buttler’s team to annex the T20 World Cup in Australia last month.Morgan and Buttler, along with fellow 2019 World Cup winner Jason Roy, will be reunited at the Paarl Royals next month for the inaugural SA20 season’ and it’s this vast championship-winning experience that coach JP Duminy can rely on at Boland Park.'”I can’t wait. It’s unbelievably exciting coming back to a country that I love playing in, and have played quite a bit in for the last six/seven years,” Morgan said in a release.”To be teaming up with my very good friends, Jos Buttler and Jason Roy, is something I am looking forward to. But not only that, the tournament and the time of year, it allows us all to bring our families and share the experience of not only touring a beautiful country but also playing cricket’s most popular format,” he added.The 36-year-old ranks high on the list of global T20 franchise pioneers, having early on committed to improving his craft by playing in virtually every league in the world, and often in its debut seasons.He has witnessed the exponential growth of franchise cricket and particularly the impact it has had on domestic players outside of the various national teams. He believes SA20 can unearth similar home-grown heroes.’Some of the most exciting tournaments that I have played in, I have played in their inaugural year, things are very raw, things are very exciting, and one of the biggest attributes that a strong domestic tournament brings is an opportunity for domestic players to pit themselves against the very best and biggest names in the world,” Morgan said.”I envisage this tournament laying on that platform and what it creates actually is something that cannot be replicated ‘n countries that don’t have high-profile tournaments. It creates domestic heroes. In countries that have strong T20 tournaments, or Hundred tournaments, you have players that don’t necessarily get opportunities in international cricket but they become household names over the first couple of years,” he added.