David Miller, South African Cricketer and Captain of The Paarl Royals, a team in Betway SA20, A franchise t20 cricket league from South Africa. Recently, In an interview to Betway, he talked about SA20 and what it means for South Africa and also discussed Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, the two world cup winning captains as well.
Below are the excerpts from his interview.
How does it feel to have your own South African t20 league that can invite the best players in the world?
I am very excited about it and South Africa has been searching for something like this for a long time. South Africa is a good place to play cricket. The weather is good, the time zone is great and we have some of the finest places to visit.
The competition between the teams should be really strong. This will compete with all the other franchise t20 leagues around the world.
Based on your other leagues experiences, is it important to have one for South Africa as well?
We can easily understand how these leagues are developing domestic cricket in other countries. This is what we can do here as well in South Africa. It will strengthen our domestic cricket ecosystem.
Playing with the world class players is going to benefit South African cricket and this will be great.
How exciting is it to be part of the Royals brand?
I am already fortunate enough to be with the Rajasthan Royals and Barbados Royals. So I really enjoy their brand and what they bring to the party.
I am now going to play for Paarl Royals on home soil. I will be pleased to be a part of it.
Can this competition help to improve the strength of the National Team as well?
The younger guys will learn a lot quicker playing with overseas players and domestic players. It will only benefit the South Africa National Team.
As this is a competitive league and there will be a lot of pressure moments. When you put yourself under a lot of pressure, you learn quickly. That’s also a plus point.
What is the key to winning a franchise competition?
From my past experiences, especially winning the IPL 2022 with Gujarat Titans. A lot of different guys performed well throughout the competition. The contribution from the whole team is required.
On top of that, a positive team environment is important. So keep up the good spirits and enjoy yourself.
How much are you enjoying your cricket at the moment after a fantastic 2022?
Last couple of years have been really good for me. I am feeling comfortable in the space I am in.
I am trying to be consistent in what I am doing. Hopefully with the help of other team members, hopefully I will continue to do so.
So many years after playing, Do you still feel the same excitement ahead of competitions?
I love cricket. Every morning I wake up and I want to play.
When the competition is strong, It challenges me and this is what keeps me doing.
All the preparation and sacrifices are worth it as the rewards are very high when you do well.
Which new talents are you looking forward to working with in Paarl Royals?
There are a lot of players I can mention. I haven’t played yet with the likes of Codi Yusuf and Mitch van Buuren. These are very exciting young players.
I am looking forward to working with these young players and guiding them to perform big for the team.
And what about the overseas players? Especially Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, both are world cup winning captains.
If you want to pick up one player from your opponent in SA20. Who would it be?
Rashid Khan. He is pure class.
