Billiat sets new benchmark of excellence in the South African Premiership

ZIMBABWE international forward Khama Billiat has set a new benchmark of excellence in the South African Premiership - which he has illuminated this season with his blinding range of skills and goals - by becoming the first player to provide 20 goals for his teammates in a single campaign.

The high-flying winger was again the conductor of the orchestra as his wing wizardry helped Mamelodi Sundowns clear the final hurdle, in their quest for their second ABSA Premiership title in three years, as the Brazilians hammered University of Pretoria 3-0 on Wednesday night to win the marathon which their quality richly deserved.

Billiat provided two of the goals scored by Liberian international forward, Anthony Laffor who grabbed a hattrick, as the Zimbabwean's trickery, sudden burst of pace and pin-point accuracy when it came to his defining passes, destroyed the opposition defence.

The first assist came when he received the ball wide on the left, on a poor pitch and turned to face his marker, a step-over fooling him — as it has done many before him who have tried to stop this magician when he is in the mood — and as Billiat sped clear, the poor AmaTuks defender, confused by what had beaten him, staggered as he just barely avoided crashing to the ground in humiliation.

Once he had found his pocket of space, which his magic had created for him, Billiat released a devilish ball across goal, too far for the 'keeper to pick up, too deep for the defence to keep out and Laffor — lurking on the back post — had the easiest of tasks to turn it home for the second goal.

Then, in the second half, Billiat was picked wide on the left channel, faced his Warriors teammate Partson Jaure and beat him as he cut inside, before — for the second time that night — finding Laffor who scored his third goal for the victory that gave Sundowns the league championship.

It was also the 20th assist for Billiat, in all competitions, in the South African Premiership this season and a landmark pass given that no other player has ever managed such a feat in that country's top flight league.

Billiat's 20 assists were, as of Wednesday, five more than Bidvest's Diane Klate, who has 15 and that the two teams were the last sides standing in the championship race, until Wits stumbled in that 2-2 draw against Mpumalanga Black Aces which opened the doors for Sundowns to win at AmaTuks and be crowned champions, the Zimbabwean's contribution might have been the defining factor in separating the two leading sides.

Kaizer Chiefs' Siphiwe Tshabalala also has 15 assists, in a poor season for the Amakhosi, while the second best player, in terms of assists at Sundowns, was Bafana Bafana midfielder Hlompo Kekana with six.

Billiat's strike partners, Leonardo Castro and Keegan Dolly, have five assists each. The Zimbabwean winger has also scored crucial goals, 10 in the league for the Brazilians and everything right now appears to point out to a season where he will be richly rewarded with a number of awards of excellence.

He has 14 assists in the league championship campaign this season alone.

Billiat already leads the race for the Kick-Off Footballer of the Season, whose votes close today having won more than half of the over 6 000 votes cast by yesterday, with his closest challengers being teammates Kekana (15 percent) and Dolly (9 percent).

Belgium-based Bafana Bafana midfielder Andile Jali (7,9 percent), Klate (5,9 percent), Collins Mbesuma (5 percent), Prince Nxumalo (3,2 percent) and Moeneeb Josephs (3 percent) are way behind.

Billiat is also the odds-on favourite to win the PSL Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Awards which could see him pocketing huge earnings at the end of the season.

Shortly after helping Sundowns win the league championship, Billiat was also crowned the ABSA Premiership Player of the Year for March and April as he beat his fellow Zimbabwean, Tendai Ndoro of Orlando Pirates, for the gongs.

"Billiat has been a marvel to watch, he's smart player and has remarkably led Sundowns from the front," the judges for the monthly awards noted.

"He seems to have mastered the false number 9 position, which has seen Sundowns profit from his clever runs and skill during this period."

Like every big match player, who rises to the occasion when needed, Billiat was impressive in the last two months, when Sundowns needed to hold their nerve, as he laid out five assists for his teammates and scored two goals in the league.

"We have shown a lot of character throughout the season. Credit to our coaches whom are vastly experienced," he told Kick-Off.

His coach Pitso Mosimane also praised Billiat.

"We can't ignore the CBD (Castro, Billiat and Dolly), they've done very well," Mosimane said. "They have been very brilliant, they won big games for us.

"I told the CBD if you wanna (win) the league, don't tell me about scoring against Free State Stars . . . score against Chiefs and Pirates and they scored against Chiefs and Pirates which is quality and that is where the league is delivered.

"It's not only about the CBD, Kekana, Onyango (Dennis) and the rest of the guys are underrated."

Sundowns' triumph in the league championship, their seventh in the era of the South African Premiership, appear to support the theory that, for a team to now win the biggest trophy in Africa's richest top-flight league, it has to be driven by either the skill, or the solidity, of a Zimbabwean footballer.

Four Zimbabwean stars have been the rock on which the last three league championships in South Africa have been won with Sundowns also winning the title two years ago, thanks to the contribution of Billiat and Cuthbert Malajila, when he was harassing defenders with his pace, scoring crucial goals and providing assists.

Last year, Kaizer Chiefs' success story was largely built around the contribution of Warriors' skipper Willard Katsande who was outstanding for the Amakhosi before he was overshadowed this season by Billiat's brilliance.