Proteas fast bowler Sisanda Magala is bringing valuable IPL experience into the ODI squad that has gathered in Durban for a skills camp in preparation of the Australia series and the 50-Over World Cup.
The Proteas One Day International (ODI) squad has gathered in Durban for a skills camp leading up to the Australia series that is set to take place in August and September.
Following the Australia series will be the 50-Over World Cup in India where 10 nations will lock horns in an attempt to win the prestigious trophy.
One of the Proteas squad members in camp in Durban is fast bowler Magala who is fresh from the Indian Premier League, where his team, the Chennai Super Kings won the title for a record fifth time.
Magala gained valuable experience from playing in the IPL despite only featuring in two games before a troublesome webbing on his bowling hand split during his second appearance of the IPL.
What makes playing in India uniquely difficult is the added pressure that stems from the passionate fans in that part of the world.
Luckily for team South Africa, Magala is one of the Proteas players with a fresh memory of the Indian cricket fanbase. In fact, Magala is fuelled by such electric atmospheres in a cricket stadium.
“The atmosphere there is incredible and it’s highly competitive,” Magala told IOL Sport in an exclusive interview.
“The crowd is amazing and the fields are small so you have to be spot on with your execution from the very beginning of the match,” he added.
Another valuable lessons Magala is bringing into the Proteas camp in Durban is what he learned in the highly spoken of Chennai Super Kings franchise.
The franchise has MS Dhoni leading the players on the field, and Dhoni is known for being a true definition of a good leader for always looking to ensure the team environment is healthy and thriving.
“They were big on the team environment in terms of treating everyone with respect. Also the confidence and the backing that you get there is on a whole new level,” said Magala.
“If you’ve got to the IPL, you must trust your abilities and not look to reinvent the wheel.”
In camp in Durban, the focus is on the Australia series which is only a month away and very close to the start of the World Cup.
Magala and his Proteas teammates are hard at work to ensure that come August they have a better understanding of their style of cricket and their identity as a team.
“It’s going to be an exciting challenge for the group in terms of the identity that we want to produce for the crowd and for ourselves,” said Magala.
“The first step is definitely getting the Australia series going, to set the platform for us and then taking it from there. We want to keep on ticking the right boxes in the Australia tour.
“We’re still trying to put together all pieces of the puzzle to have a real stronghold to our brand and our identity and how we want to play.
“I think when the skills camps start, the two camps leading up to the Australia series, I think by then we would’ve nailed it down in terms of how we would play our brand.
“At the end of the day it’s about being able to distinguish how we play, seeing it as being uniquely different to how the other countries play.
“It’s a long process and we still have a long time before the Australia series,” he concluded.
The Australia series will start on August 30 with a three-match T20I series and the conclude with a five-match ODI series from September 7.
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IOL Sport