It’s very thrilling to be heading into my first World Cup as South Africa’s captain.
It’s very particular to be given the chance to guide my nation and it may be an entire new, totally different problem for me.
For the previous 12 months as captain, I’ve simply needed to deal with one collection at a time and one crew at a time. Now, I’ve to deal with an entire bunch of various groups with each sport bringing a brand new opponent and new gamers to analyse and plan for. It’s going to be an enormous problem however I am very excited. It is such a large honour and privilege and one which not a variety of gamers get to expertise of their careers.
Reaching our first-ever World Cup closing in 2023 was an enormous landmark second for us. It was an enormous ‘breaking the boundaries and pushing the boundaries’ second for the crew.
Earlier than that, we might made the semi-finals on numerous events, so to have the ability to go that one step additional was crucial for us as a gaggle. Now we might wish to go that one step additional and carry the trophy, however something can occur in a closing in T20 cricket as soon as you have performed an entire competitors to get there.
It truly is nearly taking it one sport at a time and realizing behind our minds that we’ve the expertise and the power to make the ultimate with a squad that is not all too totally different from the one we had final time.
I am very excited concerning the T20 World Cup being in Dubai and Sharjah. I believe what’s fairly cool is that it is type of impartial territory for the entire groups. Many of the groups might be moving into with the identical quantity of expertise within the circumstances, not having performed there a lot earlier than, in order that’s fairly thrilling. It is going to be fairly attention-grabbing to see which crew adapts the very best to the circumstances and is ready to sum it up as rapidly as they will.
As there is not any actual home-ground benefit for anybody, the crew that is ready to determine and assess the circumstances the very best has the very best likelihood of success. It’s additionally going to be actually thrilling to see the crowds in attendance on the matches contemplating large expat group within the area. I’m positive that nearly each crew can have a great variety of followers popping out to help them, which is an thrilling prospect and fairly distinctive to this 12 months’s match.
Our preparation has been excellent. We had a great tour to India after which had a month the place a few of us went off to The Hundred and the remainder of us stayed at house. We additionally had two separate camps the place we did match situations and a variety of ability work that’s wanted for T20 cricket.
It’s been winter at house, so temperature-wise it could be a little bit of a shock once we get to the match. There’s not a lot you are able to do to organize for 40, 45-degree circumstances when it is 10, 15 levels Celsius again at house.
That might be an enormous problem for us, adapting to the warmth. However apart from that, I believe we have ticked all of the containers and hopefully it bodes nicely within the World Cup.
(That is a part of one of many captains’ columns)
