Graeme Smith is entirely sure of himself, a quality he has had since his days of walking onto cricket grounds the world over as if he owned them. So on the rare occasion when he seems anything less than rock solid certain, it sticks out. The SA20 captains' press conference in Cape Town on Tuesday was one such lesser spotted instance.

In Smith's defence, four days before the start of the fourth edition of the tournament that has been a roaring success - not least because he is the league commissioner - he was as busy as a human being could be.

No doubt he had more important things to do than answer questions from reporters who could see only the tip of the SA20 iceberg. Who had no clue how hectic things were below the surface. Who couldn't fathom how much still needed to be done to replicate the seamlessly slick show the cricketminded public became accustomed to seeing during the past three summers.

Or maybe he really was a touch uneasy - a brow more furrowed than usual, a barely perceptible shifting in his seat, a smidgen of disconcert in his eyes.

So it should be. Because this year the tournament will go where it never has been.

The inaugural SA20, in 2023, started on January 10. So did the 2024 edition. This January, the first ball was bowled a day earlier.

But that will change in season four. Mumbai Indians Cape Town, the defending champions, and Durban's Super Giants will be on parade at Newlands on Friday to get the SA20 party started. That's at least 15 days earlier than has been case previously. This time, the tournament will be 19 games old by January 10. And that might explain why Smith was perhaps betwixt and between.