Cape Town: Afghanistan T20 skipper Rashid Khan, who will be leading MI Cape Town in the SA20, said that there will be no added pressure on him as the leg-spinner already has captaincy experience.
SA20, South Africa’s new T20 cricket league, begins on January 10 here in Newlands.
Khan will be leading MI Cape Town in the inaugural SA20 and his team will be first out of the starting blocks against the Paarl Royals in the tournament opener on Tuesday.
“I have already led the Afghanistan side in some games, so the experience of captaincy is there. Also, being vice-captain, I have always been working closely with the leadership group and sharing my inputs on and off the pitch. So, I don’t think there will be any added pressure on me,” the Afghan spinner said.
“Starting the competition at home ground will be an added advantage for us as well. Overall, I think it will be a good game of cricket. It is important to start the campaign on a positive note. It would be hard in terms of finding the right team combination.
“But the team needs to keep things simple. Many players on our side have experience playing in other leagues so they need to enjoy the game and just do the basics right. I am super excited about this competition to start,” he added.
The leg-spinner is among an array of superstars within the MI Cape Town line-up, which also includes Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, England’s ICC T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament Sam Curran, fellow England teammates Jofra Archer and Liam Livingstone among others.
“I believe we have a very balanced team, we’ve got a strong group of cricketers who know their roles very well,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to be involved in this competition. Happy to be here in South Africa and looking for the competition to start.
“As a team, we need to be focused and as long as we keep things simple. Results are something which is not in our hands, but we can give our 100%. “
Khan was named Afghanistan’s new T20 captain last month, replacing veteran Mohammad Nabi.
–IANS