When You Get People That You Feel Really Comfortable With, The Culture Develops A Lot Quicker – Super Kings Coach Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming has been named as the coach of the Johannesburg Super Kings (JSK), who are owned by Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited (CSKCL), in Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) SA20 and Faf du Plessis has been appointed as the skipper of the side. The duo has worked together for a very long time at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The inaugural edition of the CSA T20 League is scheduled to take place in January-February 2023 and all the six franchises in the tournament have been acquired by the current Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners.

The owners of Mumbai Indians have bought the Cape Town franchise, Lucknow Super Giants owners have purchased the Durban franchise and Chennai Super Kings owners have bought the Johannesburg franchise.

Also, Sunrisers Hyderabad owners have bought the Gqeberha franchise, Rajasthan Royals owners have acquired the Paarl franchise and Delhi Capitals co-owners have acquired the Pretoria franchise.

Meanwhile, Stephen Fleming said that he wants to bring the Chennai Super Kings advantage to Johannesburg Super Kings in SA20.

“When you get people that you feel really comfortable with, the environment and who you’re with, the culture develops a lot quicker,” Fleming said in a video on CSK’s Youtube channel, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“And once you start to get that cohesion and those connections, the longer you can stay together or the more often you can get together, we think there’s an advantage in that. Our relationships runs deep and it hurts when we lose players and it’s exciting when we gain new players but relationships are really important and the support staff have been together…the thread of CSK runs pretty deep.

“Thankfully, through an owner and an ownership that really understands cricket and gives us the opportunity to explore these leadership styles, we’re able to have a really good model that allows people to feel comfortable and be the best they can be, achieve as much as they can in their time with us.”

Stephen Fleming further talked about the challenge for the support staff to move from the slow Chennai surfaces to the quick pitches at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

“We’ve done that just to make it a little bit harder for ourselves to show that we’re not a one-trick pony, which is not a strategic play that Faf was very keen on,” Fleming said in jest. 

“But there is some change and one of the skillsets of the modern-day cricketers is that they play on so many different conditions and they’re very versatile. There’s no doubt we created an advantage in Chennai but we haven’t had that for the last three-four years either. So there’s been some real learning about how to adapt to situations and environments as well as looking after the home environment as well. So the first year and the first few weeks are going to be really important. It’s a long-term plan, which is what we’d like to learn as much as we can from the day we touch down and get together.”

It’s really pleasant to be with Chennai – Faf du Plessis

Star batter Faf du Plessis, who has played seven seasons for CSK and represented the franchise in over 100 matches, said that he is extremely happy to play for Super Kings once again.

“It’s really pleasant to be with Chennai. I have an extremely lucky and long relationship with Chennai. When the opportunity presented itself again, I was extremely happy with that,” Faf du Plessis said.

Faf du Plessis further talked about the impact of the SA20 on the South Africa National Cricket Team and the young players in the country.

“I think it’s [SA20] going to be incredibly crucial for the sustainability of South African cricket,” he said. 

“I’ve almost been seeing first-hand the difference that league cricket can have on a country’s cricket. Certainly been involved with the IPL for the last 10-11 years. You see the difference that it makes to the young generation and the young players, especially in that Indian cricket team and environment. That knowledge and wisdom and experience that you can share across with your young talent in your own country, I think that’s extremely important for the growth of the national team.

“We haven’t had that for the last two or three years now but this opportunity that the guys have set up, it’s going to be hugely beneficial for South African cricket. The powerhouse that it brings to South African cricket in terms of coaching, players around the world and opportunity for South African cricket…it’s so important for a country’s future in terms of the game itself, to have a strong T20 domestic league. And the way they’ve set up this league now looks like it’s going to be one of the big leagues across the globe.”

Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: “Don’t Write Them Off, They Will Also Be A Threat In The World Cup”: Rajkumar Sharma On India’s Top Three

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