The T20 format is one of the most exciting cricket formats to watch and play. It has a fast-paced format that’s pushing five-day cricket to the sidelines. The players are required to be on their toes all the time, which makes it an adrenalin filled game.
Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi discuss the upcoming T20 World Cup ahead of their India schedule. They talk about how their work/life balance is affected by playing all three formats of the game. Rabada reminds himself that he is lucky to be able to play a sport he loves.
David Miller also agrees that it’s challenging. But they had loads of games called off when the pandemic began and he started missing cricket badly then.
Quinton de Kock and Lungi Ngidi say they have found a way to stay mentally fresh. A lot of players have to deal with the pressure of being captain and playing in a new country. They have to deal with all the new challenges that come with being in a different country. It’s not like you’ve played on one ground for 20 years and then suddenly it’s not your usual ground. You have to adapt as quickly as possible, and that doesn’t come naturally.
“We’ve found a way to stay mentally fresh,” De Kock said. “We don’t get too stressed when we’re playing in big games like this.”
They were asked whether they see the future where every player will have to pick and choose which formats they play?
They said; “The T20s have been great for us. We were able to play some good cricket and win the series. We had a good build-up to the tournament and were looking for some consistency.”
Quinton de Kock said that there are some who have an affinity for the longer formats, but there are others who prefer to play in the shortest format. As long as you’re good enough, you should be able to play in all three formats.
They have been asked; How is the South Africa team shaping up as we head towards the T20 World Cup?
“I think we are shaping up well,” Rabada said. “It is still early days and we have a lot of time to adjust to this format, but I think so far we have been pretty impressive.
“If you look at the pitches that we have played on, they are very good and the teams have been putting up a fight against us. It is going to be tough.
“But as long as you are getting the runs in and playing good cricket, then it doesn’t really matter what form your team is in or how many games you have played before this tournament.”
However Lungi Ngidi agrees that they’ve got a lot of young players in their team, too, and if they are putting in the performances with these guys now, once they settle into their roles he can only imagine what’s going to happen. So they’re in a pretty good space. As it stands South Africa are currently 4th favourites with the bookies, priced at 15/2 in Betways T20 World Cup betting markets.
