Proteas launch American invasion to aid World Cup preparation

While by no means ideal preparation for a long season that will include the World Cup, most Proteas players heading to North America next week are simply grateful for the opportunity to play some competitive cricket again. 

Major League Cricket (MLC), the newest of the ever-growing list of T20 Leagues, has attracted eight Proteas likely to be part of the World Cup squad for its inaugural tournament in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Morrisville, North Carolina. 

While the players will hope the standard is reasonable, it is mostly simply about playing again. Those who were not involved in the IPL haven’t played competitively since the start of April, with the next major assignment, a set of limited overs matches against Australia that starts at end-August. Even those such as Heinrich Klaasen, Wayne Parnell and David Miller who featured regularly in the IPL have been off since June.

“I didn’t get any game time in the IPL, which was frustrating. What’s most important for me now is to get out in the middle, work under pressure, [and] get the mind ticking again,” said Lungi Ngidi, who is in the San Francisco Unicorns squad. 

The MLC is a six team event that will run from July 13-30. It includes a handful of players who might be outsiders for World Cup selection, such as Dewald Brevis, Gerald Coetzee and Rilee Rossouw. Many South Africans, who now call the US home, have also signed up for the tournament, including Dane Piedt, Rusty Theron, Obus Pienaar and Justin Dill who was part of the 2014 under-19 Proteas squad that won the junior World Cup. 

Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks will be heading further north to play in the Global T20 Canada tournament, while wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi is off to Sri Lanka later this month for the Lanka Premier League.

“You can train as much as you want, you can try to create intensity, but nothing beats game time,” said Shamsi who will play for the Galle Titans. “It is a different format, but it is competitive. As much as it’s nice being at home, I don’t want such a long break, you [start to] wonder if you can bowl any more.

“It can only be a positive for SA cricket, that someone else is providing a platform for your players to get some money and some game time.”

Parnell and Klaasen have also been contracted to The Hundred in England that starts on August 1.

In an attempt to fill the big hole in the schedule, Proteas limited overs coach Rob Walter has hosted a number of training camps. A large group of players gathered last week for two days of team building, followed by several skills sessions. 

The Proteas face Australia in three T20 Internationals and five ODIs, which will be the last and only competitive matches before the World Cup.