The 10th season of CPL is currently underway and Barbados Royal has managed to take the lead so far. They managed to win six of the seven matches they played. In second place is Jamaica Tallawahs, followed by Trinbago Knight Riders, Saint Lucia ings, St. Kitts Nevis Patriots, and Guyana Amazon Warriors, respectively.
South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, who is the highest run-scorer after Kyle Meyers and Johnson-Charles so far this season, seems to have adjusted well to the pattern in the Caribbean. Playing for the CPL for the first time, he plays for the Barbados Royals, where he has scored 221 runs in six innings with a strike rate of over 131.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s encounter with the Guyana Amazon Warriors, he said the CPL was a great experience and a new challenge.
“It has been a great experience. Coming to the CPL for the first time was a new challenge for me. However, the moment I walked in here, I was greeted by smiles throughout by the team and our extended staff members. It has to be one of the better team environments I’ve ever been in, and to say it’s my first time in the CPL, makes it even better.”
Royals, who sit at the top of the points table with 12 points, said that the environment inside was one of the factors in the successful run.
“I think the best part is that we are winning matches and are also enjoying off the field. I’ve obviously played with certain people before but making new connections here within the team has been amazing.”
Commenting further, Quinton de Kock mentioned that although this was his first time, he had heard before about the experience that the CPL and the league provide to a player. He also said that the highest quality of cricket will be experienced in this tournament.
“I think this is one of the great ones. It is so much fun. I had never played here before but had always heard great. things about the whole experience.”
And,
“It’s one of those tournaments where you will never know until you come in and see for yourself. The quality of cricket on offer has been great, and you can see that by the number of talented upcoming players from the Caribbean who are performing now.”
Quinton also said that both the senior players and the new players of the team are performing very well in the tournament and they expect to secure their place in the tournament with a win against the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the next match.
“With the team that we have, you can see everyone has stepped up and performed – whether that is the experienced players or the younger ones. We want to make sure we can perform well in the next few matches and get that playoff spot secured before reporting to the national team, and I’m very confident the boys can take it from there and bring the cup home.”
He further mentioned that the time he has spent with Royals has been very enjoyable and that each character in the Royals family brings different strengths to the franchise.
“It has been so much fun. It’s like another level of how much I’m enjoying my cricket at the moment, both on and off the field. I’ve also really enjoyed the company here, with guys like Dappa (Kyle Mayers) , Big Jimbo (Rahkeem Cornwall), and Jason (Holder). There are just so many characters and everybody brings a different energy to the group. I don’t think there’s been a day where my cheeks haven’t had a cramp from laughing too much.”
He also spoke about his teammate David Millar’s leadership, where he mentioned that he always takes care of his players on and off the field.
“We obviously have a leadership group here at the Royals. Jason, Kyle and myself, we do input into Dave (Miller). I think we all just surround him and help make sure he’s finding the solutions which help the team. it comes very naturally to him, and he’s been doing a great job. His attitude is right up there and he’s always concerned for his players both on and off the field, which is a quality of a great leader.”
However, with Rahkeem and Kyle opening the innings for Barbados, de Kock’s batting position gave him a new look. That’s because he bats at number 3 or 4.
“When I came into the team, I saw Rahkeem and Kyle being the openers, so I was prepared to bat down the order. It is something that I’ve done in the past at the beginning of my career, and I’m happy to do so again for the team.”