‘I’ll probably just let AB do the batting’

Theunis de Bruyn has picked up a tournament-ending injury, joining Lungi Ngidi as a Proteas star lost to the Tshwane Spartans as they scramble for a play-off place in the Mzansi Super League.

Fortunately they have a ready-made replacement with England captain Eoin Morgan having arrived and ready to face the Paarl Rocks at Centurion on Wednesday afternoon.

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De Bruyn has a back injury that will rule him out of the rest of the competition, but Morgan will slot straight into the Tshwane middle-order, alongside captain AB de Villiers, in what should be a thrilling combination.

The Spartans, with just two wins in six matches, are seven points off a play-off place and they desperately need some magic from De Villiers.

Morgan said he is also feeling the pressure of contributing in a major way before he has even stepped on the field.

“I’ll probably just get one and let AB bat because he is an incredible player, one of the special players of this generation. It’s going to be a huge pleasure batting with him and he’s an outstanding guy. The Spartans, not having done so well, presents a bigger opportunity and there is always extra expectation when you are the ‘overseas pro’.

“We need to win three of our last four games, if not four out of four, so it’s make-or-break, which makes it more exciting. To play on a ground like this where I have good memories is great, but the pitch is apparently a bit different,
it always used to be rock-hard and flat. So we’ve got to be flexible and I’m even happy to open the batting,” Morgan said.

The Spartans will be up against one of the more balanced attacks in the competition as the Paarl Rocks bowling is led by in-form paceman Dane Paterson, backed by the canny seam bowing of David Wiese and Dwayne Bravo, and two brilliant spinners in Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin.

Morgan will be fresh off a first-ball duck in his last innings for the Kerala Knights, but given the hit-and-miss nature of the UAE T10 League, he is not concerned.

“I’ve been looking at the Paarl bowlers and I haven’t played a lot against any of them. It’s difficult to report anything about my form because I’m not a traditional batsman in the sense that I seem to score runs when I’m supposedly
not in form and I fail when everyone thinks I’m in great form,” Morgan said.

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