Sharjah, January 10: Winning crucial moments and maximising the powerplay - these are a couple of aspects that the Sharjah Warriorz have their eyes on as they prepare for an entertaining Season 3 of the International League T20 (ILT20).
The Sharjah Warriorz, who will be captained by Tim Southee and has JP Duminy as the head coach, will commence their campaign at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium against the Gulf Giants on January 12. After fifth place and bottom place finishes in the first two seasons respectively, the team is aiming to turn things around.
Former South African cricketer JP Duminy wants his side to keep things relatively simple and take it one game at a time. He said as quoted by an ILT20 press release, "It is crucial to keep things simple during the game. From a tactical point of view, understanding the different phases in the game is important and it is also crucial to be able to win them, so you give yourself the best chance."
"Everyone wants to win the ILT20, but the critical piece will always be the how and that is something that we are going to discuss and understand as we progress in the tournament. It will depend on the conditions are we facing and that'll be an evolving conversation," the South African explained.
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid added, "The Sharjah Warriorz is not going to look too far ahead, and it is about playing the game that is in front of you, and executing the plans to perfection. It is a game of cricket and there are ups and downs, so we want to keep things really simple. Whatever challenges lie ahead of us we want to win that battle first and then move onto the next."
While it is a one-game at a time approach for the Sharjah Warriorz, the coach further spoke about the importance of consistency and experience. "Adil is a very experienced bowler, who understands how to impact the game, and is one of the match-winners for the Sharjah Warriorz. Along with that, I think the top order with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Johnson Charles and Jason Roy, if they can be consistent, it gives us a great chance to do well too," the coach said.
"Our captain, Tim Southee also brings a wealth of experience into the team and has always done well in the T20 format over the years, and we just hope we can execute our plans well. How do we give ourselves the best chance is the critical question, and how do we ensure we are prepared every single day in training and in matches is going to be the critical piece," added JP Duminy.
Adil Rashid, who has played more than 400 T20 matches in his career, spoke about how he prepares for matches. "For me, it is about playing to my strengths and working on my plans, and keeping things simple. What is my role in the team? I am in the team to try to create chances, and hopefully pick up wickets, so I work accordingly. I have been fortunate to play for 15-plus years, and knowing your game well definitely helps deal with situations during the game," he said.
Sharjah Warriorz:
New signees: Tim Southee (captain), Adam Milne, Adil Rashid (played for Warriorz in Season 2 as a Wildcard pick), Ashton Agar, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Daniel Sams, Ethan D' Souza, Harmeet Singh, Jason Roy, Karim Janat, Keemo Paul, Matthew Wade, Rohan Mustafa, Tim Seifert, Traveen Mathew and Virandeep Singh.
Retentions: Dilshan Madushanka, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Kusal Mendis, Luke Wells, Peter Hatzoglou and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.
