DURBAN: On Wednesday evening at Kingsmead, Durban, Pretoria Capitals' Shai Hope was putting on a scintillating show against Durban's Super Giants in the SA20 league. The West Indian racked up a century (118 n.o off 69 balls), helping Capitals post 201/4 in a crucial game. The home team came close, thanks to Jos Buttler's lone fight (97 n.o from 52 balls), but Lungi Ngidi's hat-trick sealed the contest for Capitals. Watching it from the sidelines and calling the game was former India cricketer and broadcaster Robin Uthappa, who needs no introduction when it comes to Durban.
He was here during the famous bowl-out versus Pakistan in the 2007 World T20, and for Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes, followed by the incredible semifinal win against Australia. In a candid chat on the sidelines, the former batter from Bengaluru relived the memories, the growth of SA20, whether the sport has space for three formats, the novelty of ICC events wearing off and more. Excerpts…
On being in Kingsmead
Oh, Durban brings back a lot of memories. I go back to 2007 all the time. Every time I come here, I look at that dressing room on the other side, and I just think of all the wonderful memories we created here. It was a special time. I was on the pitch today just having a look before the pitch report, and obviously reminiscing about the time when I actually bowled there. It was certainly a lot of fun. We did a lot of preparation for it, which we don't really kind of talk about, but I think we were better prepared than the opposition team that night.
On fourth year of SA20
Well, I absolutely love this tournament. I reckon as far as atmosphere is concerned and quality of cricket is concerned, I reckon it's the second-best league after the IPL. I think you will see South African cricket thriving, and you've already seen it. The likes of Nqobani Mokoena, an 18-year-old pacer who plays for Paarl Royals, and Jordan Harmann, who plays for Sunrisers Eastern Cape. I think these are talents that even the IPL scouts will keep their eyes on because these are players for the future. You will see them playing in world cricket very, very soon.
On this season being a good preparation platform ahead of upcoming World Cup
I know different conditions back in India and Sri Lanka, but that high-intensity cricket is a month before the World Cup. If you had asked me this question maybe 5-7 years ago, I probably would have said it's decent preparation, but not all that. But given the conditions right now, we see, for example, that Durban is supposed to be the fastest wicket in the world with bounce and pace. It's not the same. It sits, it sits up. So I think it sits squarely in the preparation for the World Cup. So I won't be surprised if SA and and some of the players who played in this league end up doing really well in the World Cup.
On three formats, novelty of ICC events every year
I think there's an evolutionary standpoint that we've been standing on from an administrative perspective for a while now. I think the game needs to evolve from the administrative perspective today. How much value do fans and audiences hold for an ICC tournament every year? The novelty of it is wearing off, to be very honest and with all due respect. And I think the novelty of the ICC Championships must be there. I think it's an integral part, not just for the players but also for the fans, also for the viewers, right? It has to mean something. There has to be a little bit of a gap. You can't be, we can't have or shouldn't have an ICC championship every year. And that is the hard truth that I think the administrators have to look at and face, and look at evolving the game in a way where it's actually moving towards. You have to understand that the game is moving in a direction. You can't force that direction into another space. You have to flow with that and try to maximise that towards where it's moving.
On Indian players in SA20
Well, I'm telling you, if people watch this sport and people come here, I can tell you that this is a place that any cricket lover, anyone who loves this sport, anyone who wants to play this sport at a competitive level will love playing. I can see the likes of Ashwin wanting to be a part of this. I can see the likes of maybe just recently retired players wanting to be a part of this. If the skills are up to it, if they're physically up to it, if people have me now, I'm ready to shed this off and wear pads and gloves and go and bat for them. And so because this is such an exciting tournament, you want to be a part of a tournament like this. You want to. If the fire still burns to win championships, then yeah, this is a place to be.
