Heading into the 2021 HERO Caribbean Premier League, the Saint Lucia Kings will have a new leader at their helm, with Faf Du Plessis picking up the mantle from the retiring Daren Sammy. And it seems as though the seasoned South African player already has his plans chalked out, as revealed in an exclusive interview with Saint Lucia Kings.
“I really enjoy captaincy in franchise tournaments, I think it helps to grow yourself as a player to be put in an environment you are not very used to,“ reveals Du Plessis. “A big thing of how I have always worked has been being very people centric.
“It is all about building good relationships with people and setting up an environment where they can be themselves. Tournament cricket is short, so it is all about how the franchise, through their captain, coach and senior players can create an environment where players feel safe and they can trust the leadership upstairs,” he added.
“Tournaments these days are a lot more congested, the scheduling is very packed, but it has been a product of Covid and every team has to face that challenge, you just have to make the best of the situation in front of you, ' added Du Plessis.
Looking forward to linking up with Daren Sammy
“One of the first things that I want to do this season is to just sit down with Daren (Sammy), and just pick his brains to try and understand how he spoke with the team. He’s been a fantastic leader for the Kings, and also for West Indian cricket, so really longing forward to try and understand him and the team better,” revealed Du Plessis in the same interview.
Du Plessis and Sammy have been good friends off the field, coming up against each other multiple times in International and franchise cricket in the past, and this time around will be able to join forces while working for the same team.
“Andy Flower is another person I have a lot of respect for, he has done a lot of great things in his time as a coach. I think we are very lucky to have a good leadership group, and I’m really looking forward to linking up with them. I always rely on other people to help me along the way,” concluded Faf Du Plessis.
