Maybe everything really is bigger in Texas. Take, for instance, the South African contingent in the state's MLC franchise.

Half Texas Super Kings' squad of 18 were born in South Africa. When one of them, Nandre Burger, was ruled out of the tournament two weeks ago because of a lumbar stress reaction he was replaced by another, Dian Forrester. When Faf du Plessis missed a game with a back spasm, Donovan Ferreira took over the captaincy. The connection extends to the coaching staff, which features Albie Morkel. The other five MLC outfits have 14 South African-born players on their books between them.

When Du Plessis hammered an undefeated 113 off 52 against a Seattle Orcas attack that included Ottneil Baartman in the opening game of this year's tournament in Dallas on June 18, Morkel was wheeled out to pay homage.

"You have to admire his will to play," Morkel told a press conference. "With the fitness levels he has, he's showing a new level of professionalism."

Du Plessis, who seems as indefatigable as he is tattooed, turns 42 on Monday. It's not at all an insult to Morkel to point out that, if you put them side by side, it would be difficult to believe Du Plessis is the younger by only three years.

He has the physical conditioning of someone 10 years his junior, and his competitiveness and commitment is as sharp as ever. To illustrate the latter, Momberg cited Du Plessis travelling directly to the United States after Lieg Red Lions, his team in last month's EUT20 Belgium, were eliminated before the knockout stage of the tournament.

"That in itself tells you the man still wants to play cricket. A lot of older guys like him would have taken a few days off. He was here immediately in the nets. How long can he go for? That's the next question. But performances like this will probably add two seasons."

Doubtless Du Plessis doesn't think he belongs in the same sentence as George W. Bush, the former US president and a proud Texan. But he does, thanks to Bush saying this: "Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called walking."

South Africans, particularly those of a sporting persuasion, do swagger. Similarly, Texans love a good steak as much as South Africans. Do these factors explain the affinity with TSK? No. This is weightier than walking, bigger than beef. Call it the IPL satellite effect.

Six of those nine TSK players were part of Joburg Super Kings' squad in this year's SA20. Chennai Super Kings had three matches left in this year's IPL when they announced that they had signed Forrester to replace Jamie Overton, who had suffered a thigh injury. Forrester didn't get a game, but he - and some of his TSK and JSK squadmates - might do in future. That, after all, is an important part of the reason why other T20 tournaments exist: you never know when the mothership in India will beam you up.

The first comment under the YouTube version of Morkel's presser summed it up: "All Super Kings have my heart."

And then there's Faf. Du Plessis played 155 IPL games, 92 of them - more than half of his total, and more than twice the 45 in which he wore a Royal Challengers Bangalore shirt - for CSK from 2012 to 2021.

Morkel used to be the standard-bearer for T20 mercenaries from South Africa. He played for six foreign franchises, four of them in the IPL. Du Plessis has inherited that title. And surpassed its previous holder. He has turned out for 14 T20 franchises in other countries - including four in the IPL - two in the Hundred and one in the Abu Dhabi T10.

Cricket has changed since Morkel played his last serious match, for Durban Heat against Tshwane Spartans in the Mzansi Super League in December 2018. That competition no longer exists, and he hung up his spikes before the LPL, the ILT20, the MLC and the SA20 were born.

Du Plessis has benefitted from the modern glut of T20 and other white-ball vehicles. Consequently he has played 120 more T20s of all kinds than Morkel.

Both are exemplary ambassadors for compatriots of a similar ilk, which helps explain the surfeit of South African-born players in the MLC. As does the generous allocation of nine foreign players per squad. And the opportunity to earn in a currency that is 16.33 times stronger than the Rand. Consequently no country has supplied more players to this year's tournament than their total of 23.

Of course, as with many things South African, it's complicated. Seven of the 23 MLC players who were born in the country have since become American. Of them, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Obus Pienaar, Andries Gous, Calvin Savage and Carmi Le Roux all played at senior provincial level in South Africa. But 21-year-old twins Matthew and Joshua Tromp, of Los Angeles Knight Riders and TSK, who were born in Johannesburg and moved to the US with their sister and parents when they were 17, have played all of their senior representative cricket on American soil.

How are the Saffers doing? The only one at San Francisco Unicorns, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, was the tournament's leading runscorer going into Friday's games with a century and four 50s in his eight innings. Baartman was the top wicket-taker and Tristan Luus, who is with Mumbai Indians New York, had the third-best economy rate.

Maybe everything in cricket is better in South Africa. Closer to the truth, South Africa produces more talent in its schools than it could possibly deploy or employ at home. Maybe other countries should be grateful.