Durban — “Where do England players stay whenever they tour South Africa? … with their parents of course!”
The long-standing joke will be no different in the Betway SA20 with Gqeberha-born England speedster Brydon Carse set to charge in for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the inaugural tournament.
A local boy who attended Pearson High School before moving to Durham in England’s north east, Carse would have gained his cricket education on the grass banks of St George’s Park.
“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,” Carse told the media ahead of the Sunrisers’ opening clash against Pretoria Capitals on Thursday.
“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, who is capped nine times at England ODI level, will spearhead a Sunrisers pace attack that also includes Marco Jansen, Sisand Magala and Ottniel Baartman.
However, the attack is well-rounded for the conditions at St George’s Park with Junaid Dawood, Roelof van der Merwe and Mason Crane providing spin options.
The 27-year-old certainly believes the Sunrisers are well-prepared for the Capitals.
“The boys have got stuck in and things have been really good within the group,” he said.
“We played a couple of warm-up games and some intense training sessions, so we have tried to get a lot of our volume and high-intensity work in (early).”
Meanwhile, the Capitals will also have a homegrown Gqeberha product returning to the Eastern Cape in skipper Wayne Parnell.
The all-rounder was a mainstay of previous teams in Gqeberha and despite being stationed in the visitors’ dressing room now, Parnell knows the impact the St George’s Park crowd can have on any team when in full voice.
“When you think of St George’s Park, you obviously think of the band. We had a couple of seasons when I was playing at St George’s Park for the Warriors and we had full stadiums in the T20 competition and it was really great to play in that atmosphere,” Parnell said.
“Hopefully we can see that happen. It was obviously very difficult to have fans during the Covid, and to see people back in the stadiums is really special.”
SQUADS
Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Tom Abell, Marques Ackerman, Ottniel Baartman, Brydon Carse, Mason Crane, Jordan Cox, Junaid Dawood, Sarel Erwee, James Fuller, Aya Gqamane, Marco Jansen, Jordan Hermann, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Adam Rossington, Jon-Jon Smuts, Roelof van der Merwe
Pretoria Capitals: Eathan Bosch, Theunis de Bruyn, Shane Dadswell, Cameron Delport, Daryn Dupavillon, Will Jacks, Josh Little, Marco Marais, Kusal Mendis, Senuran Muthusamy, Jimmy Neesham, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Migael Pretorius, Adil Rashid, Rilee Rossouw, Phil Salt, Shaun von Berg
Start: 5:30pm TV: SuperSport