CAPE TOWN – Faf du Plessis is hoping Boland Park will rock to the sounds of “Champion” and Dwayne “DJ” Bravo in this season’s Msanzi T20 League.
Du Plessis is, of course, the captain of the Paarl Rocks and will be joined by his good friend Bravo for the new competition.
The charismatic West Indies all-rounder and Du Plessis have travelled a long road together, particular playing and winning championships for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Du Plessis has also long been an admirer of Bravo, and not only for his striking ability with willow in hand or his renowned death bowling skills, but also for the spirit in which he plays the game.
Faf on @DJBravo47 and the 'X-factor' he will bring to the @Paarl_Rocks... @IOLsport #MSLT20 @faf1307 @MSL_T20 pic.twitter.com/1JmKgB7QB5
— Zaahier Adams (@ZaahierAdams) October 22, 2018
A two-times ICC World T20 winner with the Windies, and champion in numerous T20 Leagues, Bravo is a serial short-format success story.
But he also brings a deal of flair and knows how to create a party atmosphere inside the stadium, and will no doubt get the new Paarl Rocks fans stomping their feet on the Boland Park grass banks.
“I am very happy to have him on board,” Du Plessis said at the launch of the Paarl Rocks at Boland Park on Monday. “I obviously played a lot of cricket with him at Chennai [Super Kings] all the years that we have been together.
“He’s a massive entertainer and people love him because he brings an X-factor to the team. He’s also a very successful player and has won a lot of trophies, one with Chennai but with also with his team locally in the Caribbean. He’s also a leader, so it’s nice to have someone that’s there with me at all times,” the skipper added.
Unfortunately Bravo won’t be available for the Rocks between the 23rd November and December 2 due to his commitments in the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.
The West Indies' Dwayne Bravo (left) celebrates with his captain Darren Sammy after taking the wicket of England's Ben Stokes (2016). Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Du Plessis, though, is confident his charges can absorb this loss, especially due to the remaining talent within the Paarl Rocks squad, starting with Proteas young gun Aiden Markram and Boland legend Henry Davids at the top of the order.
“Aiden is a quality cricketer so I think for the future of Paarl Rocks it will be good to have someone that’s young and can stay here for a long time,” he said. ”We wanted to get Henry Davids who grew up in this area so from the beginning we wanted him in the team, and that actually worked out really well because the two of them will be batting together, obviously playing a lot of cricket together at the Titans, that relationship is very good and very successful.”
The Paarl Rocks squad is:
Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), Tabraiz Shamsi, Dane Paterson, Aiden Markram, Mangaliso Mosehle, Bjorn Fortuin, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Grant Thomson, Paul Stirling (Ireland), Tshepo Moreki, Henry Davids, Cameron Delport (Kolpak), Eathan Bosch (rookie), Patrick Kruger, Kerwin Mungroo.