Gqeberha-born speedster Carse cherishes his Sunrisers homecoming

Gqeberha-born England speedster Brydon Carse is cherishing his homecoming as a professional cricketer when he represents the Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) at St George’s Park in the Betway SA20.

The 27-year-old right-arm paceman is part of a talented, youthful outfit looking to spring a few surprises in the six-team competition. The 33-match festival of cricket will be hosted across the country.

Carse said having spent a week and a bit in each other’s company as a team has really brought them closer together and they are now hoping to carry that unity onto the field when they start their campaign with a clash against the Pretoria Capitals on Thursday.

The former Pearson High pupil, who is more than handy with the bat as well, said their aim as a team is to make St George’s Park a fortress where others will not find it easy to play.

Speaking to the media, Carse said it will be a special moment for him to walk out onto the famous ground he has dreamt about playing on as an aspiring cricketer.

“As a child growing up, watching the Warriors, Eastern Province, and the Proteas at St George’s Park, I was always there with friends, enjoying the atmosphere, listening to the band, and it was something I have always had my eye on.

“To be able to play there for the home team will be really special for me and something I am really looking forward to. A lot of my friends and family will be there. They are all very excited to get behind me and the team.

“Another bonus of being with SEC is that I get to spend time at home with my family, which is enjoyable for me and also for them,” Carse said.

The Durham quick said when the SA20 tournament was first made public, he knew it would be something he would love to be a part of, regardless of which franchise acquired his services.

“I was following the auction via social media, and when it came up that I had been bought by SEC, I was over the moon. I think it is going to be a really cool experience to be back playing where I grew up, and I cannot wait to get going,” he said.

Carse, who has represented England at full senior level, said he was feeling fit and ready to leave it all on the field.

On adapting to the coaching style of Adrian Birrell and his back-room staff, Carse said: “The boys have got stuck in and things have been really good within the group. We played a couple of warm-up games and had some intense training sessions, so we have tried to get a lot of our volume and high-intensity work in [early].

“The biggest thing we are trying to do is to go out and have fun, but we also want to entertain. We know St George’s Park can be a noisy place to play when there are fans in the stadium and the band is going. It is almost like having 12 or 13 players on your team with the support,” said Carse, who represents the Northampton Superchargers in The Hundred competition in England.