CAPE TOWN – Paarl Rocks captain Faf du Plessis knows it’s a privilege to play in front of a packed Boland Park every time the boys in purple and pink run out in the Mzansi Super League.
It is therefore imperative for Du Plessis that the Rocks get back to winning ways this coming Friday against the Jozi Stars after slipping to a tense defeat to Tshwane Spartans at the picturesque venue on Sunday.
“It’s great for us that the people are hungry for cricket here. I think the reason for it is that they don’t get a lot of cricket here,” Du Plessis said.
“They’re very passionate fans and you have to give credit to the people at Boland Cricket. They have put in some serious work behind the scenes to go to the schools and the people and make them aware of what is happening.
“It is important that you bounce back quickly. It is big game for us, in terms of turning around that momentum.
“I find that in T20 cricket that if you lose or win streak, you can either go up or down. We will try to be a professional as possible to make sure we can get our momentum swing back.
“It is very important to win our next game at home especially because we have three games away on the trot after that.”
Faf du Plessis of the Paarl Rocks during the 2019 Mzansi Super League cricket match between Paarl Rocks and Spartans at Boland Park, Paarl on 17 November 2019 Photo: BackpagePix
The Rocks will hope England’s World Cup winner James Vince can continue piling on the runs after an impressive debut in the defeat to Tshwane.
Vince stroked 86 not out off just 53 balls on a Boland Park pitch that was not conducive to free-flowing batting.
It is certainly imperative with the Rocks yet to finalise a replacement for the injured JP Duminy.
“Vince played a good knock. I am always happy when our teammates are playing well. Vince has a lot of experience - smart cricket,” said Du Plessis.
“The recipe was almost conventional batting. The pitch required almost an ODI innings, it wasn’t power hitting. It was good cricket shots. It needed proper batting, and not slogging.
“We are still trying to figure it out (the replacement). We want to make sure that we take time to pick the right person. We have a shortlist of five people. We can’t get an overseas player. It has to be a local player, so it is difficult to get your No 1 pick from outside the draft list.”