Jofra Archer looks set to return to competitive cricket in South Africa in January after becoming MI Cape Town’s wildcard signing for the inaugural season of the SA20.
He is currently in practice with England Lions in UAE. The wildcard system, which SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith said would “offer our teams an opportunity to add another world-class player to their squad”, was formally unveiled by CSA on Monday. The only other franchise to announce a wildcard signing so far is Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who brought in Jordan Hermann, the uncapped South African batter. Wildcard players will have a minimum salary of Rand 175,000 [US$ 10,290 approx.], but their wages are not going to count towards teams’ salary caps. Archer will join his England team-mates Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Olly Stone at MI Cape Town, whose squad also includes Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis and Rashid Khan.