It has been a while since we revisited the Ram Slam cricket tournament, South Africa’s domestic T20 franchise offering. With one other league going on at the same time – the Bangladesh Premier League – it has played second fiddle.
This is not particularly eyebrow raising. It’s because the Ram Slam has so far proved to be hopelessly uncompetitive with one team playing on a different galaxy. The Titans are yet to break sweat with the semi-finals less than a week away.
At the start of the tournament our fancy were the Knights. We reckoned they had a decent balance between bat and ball. Theunis de Bruyn, David Miller and Ryan McLaren gave them terrific power and nous in the middle order. Sydney van Shalkwyk and Eddie Leie were wily bowlers.
They were the rags of the thing at big prices. And they still are big prices because no one knows, truly, whether they are any good or not. Just like the other teams in it apart from the Titans. Of their eight games two have been washed out and they remain at +1000 (Ladbrokes) and as short as +700 (BetVictor) for unlikely glory at two of BMR’s green-listed sportsbooks.
Qualification is not assured with only two wins. Yet the weakness of the contest is exposed when just one win from their final two could see them into the semis.
We don’t feel the urge to go in again on the Knights. Instead we have to concede that the Titans look truly unstoppable. They are unbeaten with six wins from eight and two washouts. They have the meanest bowling attack and a terrifying batting lineup for opposition players.
In truth, it’s not actually a fair fight. That’s because Titans have all the best players. If they wished, they could field eight current South Africa internationals and one former player. It’s a ludicrous power balance, and one that damns the competition as uncompetitive.
Their South African stars include batting heroes like Quinton De Kock, AB De Villiers and Farhaan Behardien. Chris Morris and Albie Morkel are two of the best all-rounders in world T20, while you’ve also probably heard of pacer Dale Steyn.
The Titans won last year’s title. And if they notch again here it will be their fifth. The odds on that? Well, the -137 that Ladbrokes and BetVictor may seem prohibitive, but once they get through their semi-final against whatever shambolic outfit has pulled themselves together on the day, they won’t be -137 for the final. They’ll be much skinnier.
Next season, the Ram Slam will still exist. But it’s relevance will have decreased further. South Africa have plans for a global T20 league, which had to be shelved this year. Punters will be keeping their fingers crossed that the country finally delivers a franchise league worthy of consistent interest.
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