Former Proteas batsman JP Duminy has suggested Mzansi Super League has countered ‘a downward spiral’ in South African domestic cricket.

The MSL was launched last year, when the Jozi Stars were crowned inaugural champions on the back of victory over the Cape Town Blitz in the final. The second edition will be played later this year.

‘It’s huge for domestic cricket in South Africa. If you look back two, three or maybe even five years, domestic cricket was on a downward spiral,’ said Duminy, who will play for the Paarl Rocks.

‘The revival of the T20 game and the model of the MSL is something I am quite excited about. You have international cricketers moulded with young talent and that’s going only going to leave us in good stead.’

The left-handed Duminy boasts plenty of experience in domestic limited-overs tournaments around the world, including the Caribbean Premier League, Indian Premier League, Global T20 Canada and Pakistan Super League.

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Fast bowler Dale Steyn, meanwhile, has been retained by the Blitz. He will be accompanied by Pakistan trio Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Nawaz and Asif Ali and England all-rounder Liam Livingstone at the Cape Town franchise. Steyn, like Duminy, has played in the IPL.

‘The IPL is one of those untouchable leagues because it seems like in every IPL team, they have got at least five international Indian players as well as four overseas stars, so there’s a lot of high-quality international experience in the IPL teams,’ added Steyn.

‘In the MSL, you maybe get three or four internationals, but it’s still good. From last year when we played, it didn’t feel easy so that means there is some quality.’

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