VBK Knights fast bowler, Duanne Olivier currently leads the SACA MVP rankings, with Hollywoodbets Dolphins all-rounder Robbie Frylinck hot on his heels in second place, after both players turned in match winning performances for their respective teams during the Sunfoil Series.
Last season veteran and newcomer players battled for the title of the SACA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and this season promises to provide a similarly contested race amongst the country’s best domestic cricketers.
Olivier sits at the top of both the Overall MVP rankings and the four-day Sunfoil Series rankings, although there is still a long way to go in the Sunfoil Series and the two domestic limited-overs competitions still to come. With 28 wickets in five matches, which include two five-for’s and a nine wicket haul, Olivier is the leading wicket taker in the Sunfoil Series. His contribution thus far, has earned him 167.161 points in the MVP, to keep him 3.193 points ahead of Frylinck.
Frylinck’s record breaking performance with the ball in the second round of the Sunfoil Series against the bizhub Highveld Lions in Potchefstroom, which saw him end with a South African franchise record of 14 for 62, helped him climb 20 positions with his points’ tally leaping from 18.143 to 100.990 points. Frylinck has gone on to collect 163.968 from his five matches. His consistency and contribution with the bat and ball, has kept him in the race for the MVP.
The closest bunch of chasers in the SACA MVP at this early stage of the season are: 3rd Marchant de Lange (153.297 points), 4th Hardus Viljoen (134.512 points) and 5th Simon Harmer (131.857 points).
The MVP reflects a balanced distribution of points for players based on their on-field performances. Points awarded to players are based not only on runs and wickets, but also take into account catches, captaincy and the effect a player’s performance has on the success of his team and important stages of a match.
An indication of how reflective the rankings are is that 2015/16’s SACA MVP winner bizhub Highveld Lions’ Dwaine Pretorius and runner up, Hollywoodbets Dolphins’ Keshav Maharaj have both put in strong performances for their domestic teams in the matches they have played this season. Both players have also gone on to be selected for the Proteas, with Maharaj making his Test debut in the first Test of the current series against Australia. Pretorius has already played for the Proteas in the shorter format this year and has been called up to the Test squad following Dale Steyn’s series-ending injury.
Pretorius, currently seventh in the rankings, has played three games while Maharaj is 13th despite having only played two matches for his franchise.
The SACA MVP is an internationally recognised formula that records franchise players’ contribution to each match. Results are uploaded after each round of matches and the rankings are closely followed by players. The SACA MVP is an indicator of consistency of performance in each of the CSA Domestic Competitions and can be followed on the SACA website (www.saca.org.za).