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NEW DELHI: Premier South African pacer Kagiso Rabada has described the upcoming SA20 as a perfect platform to get valuable game time ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.

Rabada missed South Africa’s recent tour of India due to a rib injury, but the MI Cape Town player is eager to hone his skills in the fourth edition of SA20.

"Yeah, it's a fantastic opportunity to get games under your belt and get used to the flow of T20 cricket. We haven't really played much T20 cricket this year. So yeah, it's going to be a great tournament," Rabada told PTI during the JioStar Press Room ahead of SA20 Season 4, starting Friday.

Challenging conditions and preparation

Rabada highlighted that playing across various venues in South Africa will pose a healthy challenge for players ahead of the ICC showpiece.

"I think the teams this season have balanced out really well. In the previous three seasons, the management and the people who are responsible for picking the teams have figured out what it takes to do well in South Africa with the varying conditions around the country.

"So, those are the challenges, playing well in the different regions of the country. And as a bowler, how you need to adjust with that. The batters are looking strong and it's really exciting. So, it's going to be fantastic prep, I guess, if chosen for the World Cup," said Rabada.

South Africa’s T20 captain Aiden Markram, leading Durban Super Giants in this edition, agreed with Rabada’s view.

"Naturally, it's great that we'll be playing T20 cricket literally up until days before the World Cup starts. But I don't think you want to be putting too much energy into your SA20 teams and asking guys to worry about the World Cup.

"It's two completely separate events and I think it's important that the players treat it that way. When we get to the World Cup, guys would have had a lot of T20 games under their belt.

"So, hopefully, there’s some good confidence and good form that we can take forward and take care of the World Cup when we get to Indian shores," said Markram.

Maharaj excited to learn from legends

Pretoria Capitals’ skipper Keshav Maharaj expressed his excitement to work with former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and former all-rounder Shaun Pollock as part of the coaching staff.

"Yeah, obviously it's my first year with Pretoria Capitals. Managed to have a couple of conversations with Sourav sir, so really excited to get stuck in. I know the guys are playing two warm-up games, so wonderful opportunities to sort of put the plans into place and the style of cricket that we want to play.

"But I think generally Pretoria is a high-scoring ground, so I think you want to allow the batters to do their job and find ways as a bowler to combat that. But it's really exciting. We've got some legends of the game amongst our coaching staff and looking forward to feeding off their knowledge and energy come the competition," said Maharaj.

SA20’s role in player development

SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith said the league has delivered on several fronts in its four-year history, functioning as a strong feeder for the national team.

"I think credit needs to go to the players and the national team for their performance over the last couple of years.

"I think our role at SA20 from the beginning, we've always said that we want to put 50, 60 players on the global map every year, expose them to the best possible cricket and help develop the player pool around the national teams.

"And I think over the last couple of years, we've certainly seen a lot of players develop their game, go from talented youngsters to great international cricketers," said Smith.

(With PTI Inputs)