Smith has led the country’s T20 competition for the past three seasons since its inception and has earned huge plaudits for making a success of it with corporate South Africa also coming to the party.

He says he’s looking forward to the next month of the tournament, and believes this is the perfect time for cricket to be played in South Africa.

"I'm very excited for it to start. From our perspective, we've had three great seasons building up to where we are right now. All of the players are looking forward to a great summer of cricket."

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The competition’s success has been proven by the numbers in the stands, with stadiums filled up in almost every game.

Smith says the goal for them is to, at the very least, maintain the standards of the past seasons if not improve on them.

Both the first match and the final of this edition of the tournament will be played at Newlands stadium in Cape Town, and both matches have been sold out already.

The former Proteas captain says this is testament to their growth and the trust the fans have in the SA20.

One of the things Smith prides himself with is the opportunity given to young players to showcase their skills in the competition and says this is a step to international cricket for many of them.

"We have now invested in the schools programme as well, with 700 schools entering (featuring both boys and girls). We've also introduced the rookie programme, so we are seeing a whole lot of talent being brought into these squads."

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