After Test struggles, South Africa pin hopes on new T20 league

Two days after the end of a humiliating Test tour of Australia by South Africa, a new Twenty20 league, the SA20, will be launched in Cape Town on Tuesday.

South Africa were outplayed in Australia, heavily beaten in the first two matches before escaping with a draw in a rain-hit third match.

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The Test struggles followed South Africa's embarrassing exit from the T20 World Cup in November when they lost to the Netherlands in a must-win game.

"We want to play our role in reviving (South African) cricket," said SA20 commissioner and former Test captain Graeme Smith. "We want to get people into the stadium and cheering again."

Organisers said online tickets for Tuesday's opening match between MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals had been sold out.

All six league franchises have been bought by owners of Indian Premier League teams. The opening-match combatants are offshoots of Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.

The Cape Town team will be led by Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan and includes England trio Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Jofra Archer, who is returning to competitive cricket after injuries.

England white-ball captain Jos Buttler, who led his country to victory in the T20 World Cup, is the star signing for Paarl Royals, who will be captained by South Africa batter David Miller.

Other key players for the Royals are former England captain Eoin Morgan and opener Jason Roy.

Buttler has hailed the SA20 as "a really important moment in South Africa's cricket history".

Although there is a strong sprinkling of England and West Indian players, there are none from India, Pakistan or Australia.

Despite the Indian ownership of the teams, the Indian board bars