Cape Town - Paarl Royals skipper David Miller feels playing for the first time at home will certainly help his team after their opening defeat to MI Cape Town at Newlands.
The Royals are set to open their account at Boland Park on Friday as they host Joburg Super Kings.
“I think being at home will be nice. It is a big ground where there will be a lot of twos and a lot of running, and we need to be clever about the way we approach our innings,” Miller said.
“The wicket is always nice, and it’s mostly slower than the other ones, but it’s consistent. I believe we’ve got all the departments covered and now it’s just about going out there and entertaining our fans at home, who I know will be supporting us with immense passion,” said the 33-year-old.
The Royals are facing an in-former Super Kings side, who are fresh off a thrilling 16-run victory over Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead on Wednesday.
Super Kings’ finisher Donovan Ferreira was in sublime form with 82 not out off 40 balls.
Miller is expecting another onslaught from the visitors, but is not intimidated.
“I think every team is competitive and really strong, so we just got to be really onto it from the start and make sure that we tick all the boxes, and control what we can control as a team,” Miller said.
“We’ve got a lot of match-winners which is key in T20 cricket. Now it’s about finding our rhythm and getting that momentum on our side with a win against the Super Kings, who did win their first game.”
The Proteas swashbuckler has captained in the Indian Premier League and the national team before, but he fully understands that he is still very early into his leadership career and is learning all the time.
“Of course with experience, you get to learn how to deal with those 50-50 calls when there’s not much time to decide. But I think I’m learning to trust my gut a lot more,” he said.
“As far as my approach is concerned, I am kind of relaxed and laid back, but at the same time, I expect and demand a lot of commitment from the team and want them to always be competing in all aspects of the game,” added Miller.
The Royals and Joburg Super Kings are set to get underway at 1:30pm at Boland Park on Friday.
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