‘It could not be scripted any better’
King excited about leading West Indies against South Africa at Sabina
Published:Thursday | May 23, 2024 | 12:11 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer
THE LAST time Sabina Park hosted an International T20 game was August 2022 when the regional side took on New Zealand.
Starting today at 2 p.m. local time, the Mecca of cricket in the country will play host to the first of three T20 matches, with the West Indies welcoming the Proteas of South Africa.
With both sides missing several of their World Cup-bound players, including their captains, West Indies’ Rovman Powell and South Africa’s Aiden Markham, stand-ins Brandon King for the hosts and Rassie Van der Dussen, will have one eye on the series victory but also crucial match practice ahead of the global showpiece, which begins in a few days.
In the last couple of years, the teams have traded series wins, with the Proteas coming away with victory in 2021 in Grenada, but the regional side avenged that loss with an away series win in South Africa last year.
With the absence of regular captain Powell, fittingly, another Jamaican will be at the helm on home soil, and according to King, it is the perfect scenario for the ‘Labour Day’ clash.
“It could not be scripted any better with my first opportunity to captain at home, which I am very happy about.”
King is expected to lead from the front at the top of the order, and the right-hander is keen to use his local knowledge, having played at Sabina for his club – Kingston.
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“My role is to get the team off to a good start and maintain that, but I don’t feel any added pressure. I like to think positively towards these things. We want to win the game for the fans, but it is more excitement than pressure.”
Several players not selected for the World Cup squad will be keen to showcase their talent with Kyle Mayers, Matthew Ford, and Obed McCoy ready to give it their all.
South Africa will want to pull on their experience from their last win here in the Caribbean, but with several new faces such as Matthew Breetzke and Nqaba Peter, the Proteas know they will have to be at their best to defeat whichever side the hosts put out.
“We know they are a world-class unit, especially in their conditions. People in the Caribbean are passionate, so we know it’s a tough place to come and play. We have won here before, so we are looking to win the series,” said Van der Dussen.