MI CAPE TOWN AIM TO PUT SMILES ON NEWLANDS’ FAITHFUL FACES

MI Cape Town captain Rashid Khan wants to “bring smiles to the faces” of the Newlands faithful. 

Khan will be leading MI Cape Town in the inaugural Betway SA20 and his team will be first out of the starting blocks against the Paarl Royals in the tournament opener on Tuesday.

The Afghanistan leg-spinner is among an array of superstars within the MI Cape Town line-up, which also includes Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, England’s ICC T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament Sam Curran, fellow England teammates Jofra Archer and Liam Livingstone among others. 

“I believe we have a very balanced team, we’ve got a strong group of cricketers who know their roles very well,” Rashid said. 

“It’s a great opportunity to be involved in this competition. Happy to be here in South Africa and looking for the competition to start.

“As a team, we need to be focused and as long as we keep things simple. Results are something which is not in our hands, but we can give our 100%. 

“MI has a very strong cricket ethos and ideology, and we will look to embrace that and play the way MI has continued to play over the years. We are a team looking forward to doing our best and bring smiles to the faces of our fans.” 

The knowledgeable Cape Town cricket-lovers have been starved of trophy success in recent years and have already shown their commitment to MI Cape Town with all online tickets for the tournament opener against the Royals sold out. 

A heaving atmosphere is expected under Table Mountain on Tuesday and instead of feeling the pressure of the occasion, Rashid believes it will only serve to inspire his troops. 

“I have already led the Afghanistan side in some games, so the experience of captaincy is there. Also, being vice-captain, I have always been working closely with the leadership group and sharing my inputs on and off the pitch. So, I don’t think there will be any added pressure on me.”

“Starting the competition at home ground will be an added advantage for us as well. Overall, I think it will be a good game of cricket. It is important to start the campaign on a positive note. It would be hard in terms of finding the right team combination. 

“But the team needs to keep things simple. Many players on our side have experience playing in other leagues so they need to enjoy the game and just do the basics right. I am super excited about this competition to start.”