Rassie van der Dussen opens up about PSL 2023, Champions League T20
He was picked by Islamabad United
KARACHI: Islamabad United’s South African batter Rassie van der Dussen feels that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight will be a strong tournament, which will be a great challenge for batting.
Talking exclusively to Geo News on the sidelines of Islamabad United’s practice session ahead of their clash against Karachi Kings, the South African batter said that he would like to be a part of a winning squad rather than achieving any personal milestone in the tournament.
Rassie, who was also drafted in previous editions of PSL but couldn’t play due to one reason or the other, said that he is glad to be playing the tournament finally.
“I've been picked before but, unfortunately, I couldn't make it. So, it's good to be finally here, and I'm really looking forward to the challenge of playing in Pakistan. I've been here for a Test series before. I love the country and the people have always been welcoming,” he said.
“Last time it was during a Covid bubble. So now it's better to actually interact with people and see everyone,” he added.
The South African batter said that Islamabad United has a strong team and hoped to contribute to make it a successful campaign for his team.
“I will try to fit into that mold as you say Islamabad has always played expansive aggressive cricket, so, I want to be part of it. I want to be consistent for the team and I suppose at the end of the day you know personal goals doesn't mean too much. I want to just be part of a winning team,” he said.
“If I can contribute especially as a top-order batter and take that responsibility and contribute to the team and have a good tournament for myself, I'm sure the team will benefit from that,” he further stated.
Replying to a question, he said that conditions is always a big thing when a player goes to any foreign league.
“Having said that I've played Test cricket here before, it's different format, of course, but from the conditions, I did definitely pick up a few things. And, hopefully I can apply that,” he said.
The South African cricketer added that all the teams in PSL 8 look strong, since they have very good bowling attacks, which is definitely going to be a challenge from a batter’s point of view and he is “really looking forward to it”.
Rassie van der Dussen said that he has always followed the PSL regularly and have been speaking to other players about the tournament.
“All the guys, especially the international guys, that I speak to they say the standard of cricket is up there with the very best. All the teams have got guys bowling at 140kph plus, and world class spinners and world class batters as well,” he said.
“It's tough for me to say which team is stronger and which is not so strong. All the teams seem to have all the bases covered. I think it's going to be a really strong tournament and having looked at the first two games, one by one run and one by two runs. I think that's going to be the nature of this tournament and it’s is going to be very tight,” the South African who has played 18 Tests, 41 ODIs and 41 T20Is said.
Champions League T20
Replying to a question, Rassie van der Dussen said that Champions League T20 was a good tournament, where champions team from each league used to participate, and hoped to get a similar kind of tournament in near future. It must be noted that the event was scrapped after six editions in 2015.
He also agreed that a fixed window for league and international cricket can be a good idea but added that this looks difficult.
“If you look at how football is being played these days, it's more your club than your country, there's certain windows for international soccer or football. But I think it is difficult,” he said.
“But in the same time a lot of cricket means a lot of opportunities for different players and, and for the for the world to see different skills and different talent and which is also a good thing. The international game obviously takes preference, everyone wants to play for the country but there's going to have to be some balance in terms of the leagues and international cricket going together,” the South African batter concluded.
Comments