AB de Villiers: SA20 great platform to afford exposure to youngsters

The third edition of the tournament kicks off on 8 January, with defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape looking to retain the title for a third consecutive time.

Speaking to SABC Sport, de Villiers says the SA20 remains a platform for youngsters to put up their hands to don national colours in the future.

"There's fantastic opportunity in the Betway SA20 season three to not only showcase their skills, but also gain experience through sharing dressing rooms with some of the greats of the game," said de Villiers.

"We have incredible overseas stars that come over here, we have all the Proteas legends in the teams, scattered everywhere, so as a youngster there's absolutely no excuse to really just learn and see this as a learning curve.

"And if you perform on top of that, great bonus because it's the perfect platform for good performances – you put up your hand then for national colours, but also opportunities abroad, so I think it's the perfect stage and a great opportunity for them."

One such youngster de Villiers is backing is Kwena Maphaka, who is set to finally make his SA20 debut, having already appeared in the IPL and Proteas setup, and the legendary batter highlights the importance of support and guidance for the 18-year-old.

"The three that stand out are Kwena Maphaka, I watched him grow as a youngster from SA U19 and saw him again at the IPL for the Mumbai Indians, and now he's here with the Paarl Royals in season three of the Betway SA20," he added.

"So I'm excited to watch him bowl as a fast left-armer with a great future, and we've got to keep him fit and strong, and make him believe he can become one of the greatest bowlers of all time."

READ: Maphaka called up to Proteas' ODI squad for Pakistan series