On having brand MI in Cape Town

They’ve brought the MI brand into South Africa. They brought the expertise and the professionalism behind the scenes. The brand is synonymous with trying to win and be successful, which is what Western Province sports is all about as well. Hopefully we’ll be able to get some Ws and going in the right direction. 

On what could have been done better

There was a whole host of things we could have done better. But it is all about improving every game. Just a little bit of decision making here and there gave them 15 runs too many. It is just a quality tournament, any team can beat the other on the day. Just wasn’t our day today. The boys fought hard, we were in a great position with the bat at one point. But credit to Sunrisers, they got those few wickets. We could have stolen it at the end too. But that is T20 cricket. Hopefully we learn our lessons and move on quickly and implement them on Friday night. 

Positives from the game

I thought we started well once again in the powerplay, an area we struggled with in the last year with the bat. It’s the third game in a row which we have dominated. The guys are enjoying the challenge clearly. I think, as the tournament goes on, the bowling gets better. Today we weren’t at our absolute best, but we will get better at it. The plans are in place, and that’s an area we have to improve upon. It was a tight game, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get over the line. 

Motivation for the rest of the tournament 

Every time you lose a game, you are motivated. We felt the rain intervened and didn’t give us a fair chance in the first game, but that is history. It happens in these competitions. We are still playing good cricket, it is about getting better and tying the skills together to give us a chance of winning. We are close, not quite there yet, but we are very close to playing our best game. 

On the strategy to send Sam Curran up the order 

Sam’s always used as a floater in all the teams he plays in. He has been batting well this year and is a dynamic all-rounder. We thought Sam gives us an opportunity to tackle the left-arm spin of Liam Dawson. We saw he almost won us the game tonight. He is dynamic, but more importantly has a good head on those shoulders making good decisions. Our batting order is dynamic enough. We don’t want to chop and change, but we do have the luxury of having the power where we can take a risk with Livingstone, sending him a bit earlier, but that is fully game and situation dependent. 

On having Pollard leading the team

Polly has played her before. He brings presence, leadership. He is probably the most capped T20 player, so the level of experience he brings to the dressing room is massive, especially for the younger players. Dewald Brevis has been with him in his presence for a while. Even Ryan. Picking his brain is invaluable. That’s what this SA20 tournament is about, having the best players in the dressing room and helping accelerate learning and growth for the South African players. That’s what Polly brings. I have played with him when he was down here and he was magnificent. Just to have him here leading the team, we are very fortunate to have him here. 

Message for the Newlands curator and the pitch offered 

He did a good job tonight. He has been under pressure after the Test match, but he did a wonderful job here tonight. Both teams had a chance and that is what you want. Bowling was in play, we saw a hundred, fans enjoyed it, people watching it from their living rooms enjoyed it and that is what is a good surface. Let’s give him credit where the credit is due. 

Thoughts on the Western Cape derby against Paarl Royals

Every game is big in this tournament. When you lose a game, you try and get on the victory path pretty quickly. We want to take the W in the local derby. We just want to focus on improving without getting too ahead. It  is just about focusing and getting better. 

Whether the feeling of a derby has developed against Paarl

I think those things develop over time. It’s not quite one yet, but I am hoping that the more we play, the more rivalry it will create. With both teams being from the Western Cape, you want to have one over them. But all teams have rivalry. You can sense it when you get to the ground, the competitive spirit between them. 

Message for the Newlands Faithful

When we see the blue flags and the stands full, the players want to put a show for them. There has been a lot of chat about wanting to be better this year, which the guys showed without getting over the line tonight. It’s great, hopefully when we get on top in a game, it will give them a reason to smile. I’m pretty sure we entertained, despite not getting the result for them.