SA20 Season 3: With 50 days to go, De Villiers excited for upcoming mega action

Proteas legend AB de Villiers is excited ahead of their opening match of the SA20 Season 3 between double champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town at St Georgersquos Park in Gqeberha on January 9 With only 50 days to go until the first ball is bowled de Villiers the brand ambassador of SA20 on Wednesday analysed the chances of the teamsThe opening match will return to St Georgersquos for a second year running and De Villiers who has fond memories of the oldest international ground in the country feels there could be no better place to kick off an incredible month of cricketldquoSt Georgersquos Park has the best atmosphere of all the grounds I feel Certainly during my playing days over there they got right behind merdquo De Villiers said ldquoThere is nothing better than playing at St Georgersquos Park With the band there there is always music in the background Itrsquos almost like you have earpods in your ears Dancing to some tunes while yoursquore playing cricketrdquoAlso ReadBorderGavaskar Trophy You might see Shami here as well Jasprit BumrahThe home side Sunrisers Eastern Cape have been the standout team over the past two seasons winning backtoback titles under the guidance of their dynamic leadership duo of coach Adrian Birrell and captain Aiden MarkramDe Villiers having played under Birrell for many years with the Proteas menrsquos team feels their edge over the opposition is due to their tremendous team ethic and culture created by the Eastern Cape farmerldquoThe Sunrisers Eastern Cape have been incredibly successful in SA20 both seasonsrsquo champions It is an incredible achievement for them They will try their absolute best to go three in a rowrdquo De Villiers saidldquoI feel their strength lies in their ability to play as a team It is something Adrian Birrell has achieved over there in the setup their ability to hunt as a pack Captain Aiden Markram is calm and composed You also feel that anyone can chip in at any time Adi Birrell is a true legend He brings a lot of calmness and composure He is a downtoearth farmer from the Eastern Cape an absolute legend over there His humility is what stands out He never talks down to anyone He always sees the basics of the game as the most important thingrdquo de Villiers was quoted as saying in a release on WednesdayDe Villiers though is expecting a crackerjack opening game due to MI Cape Town having bolstered their already powerpacked squad with England Test captain and double whiteball World Cup winner Ben Stokes for Season 3 ldquoMI Cape Town are a starstudded team They have been for the past two seasons and now with the addition of Ben Stokes makes that side even betterrdquo De Villiers saidldquoBut it also shows that the best teams donrsquot always win championships I do however expect a better performance looking at that lineup on paper its just pure powerrdquo said the former South Africa captain considered by many as the best 360degree batter in the cricket worldDe Villiers who was part of the SA20 commentary team over the past two seasons also expects another bumper month of actionpacked cricket and incredible entertainmentldquoWe are 50 days out of Betway SA20 Season 3rdquo he said ldquoWe all know there was big hype and excitement in the first two seasons Thatrsquos what I am looking forward to the most big crowds everyone coming in to support Betway SA20 Season 3 I am urging everyone to come in and have a lot of fun with usrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever