“Mzansi Super League was life-changing”

Lutho Sipamla credits the Mzansi Super League for his meteoric rise this last season, writes Khalid Mohidin.

Last season was an incredible year for Sipamla.

A couple of months after his SA U19 stint and earning a franchise contract for the Warriors, the youngster managed to impress all the right people in the right places. Especially the fans.

His incredible control with the ball and composure highlighted him as one of the top up-and-coming talents in the country and as a result of his hard work and consistent performances, he managed to fast track himself into the Proteas T20 side where he made five appearances.

But the moment that truly put him on the map was when he was picked up by the Tshwane Spartans in the Mzansi Super League. He managed to take 16 wickets in the tournament for his side.

As a result, the 21-year-old picked up the Mzansi Super League Young Player of the Year at the CSA Awards and he paid homage to the tournament for giving him an unexpected opportunity to impress.

“MSL was a big tipping point for me. First of all, I wasn’t expecting to be a part of the tournament and just getting my name picked in the draft was life-changing,” he said exclusively to Cricket Fanatics Magazine.

“I saw that as an opportunity to come out here [Pretoria] and learn as much firstly, and try to be as competitive as I can.”

Shortly after the tournament, he made his debut for the Proteas, and he shared some advice to other young cricketers looking to follow the same path as him by revealing what was key to his successful campaign.

“Firstly it starts with me listening to the senior players and specifically the senior bowlers. I tried to pick up as many points as I could from them and tried to add that advice to my game,” he added.

“I tried to be consistent in my performances, which was a big helper in my past season and hopefully I can continue with that in the future season coming and learn more things to add to my game.

“[To the other up and coming players] Stay patient, don’t look to rush things. Make sure you know what you want, work hard – I can’t stress that enough – and believe in who you are and what can get you there.”