New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) The remarkable team culture, instilled by coach Adrian Birrell, has been instrumental in Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) becoming the first team to reach the playoffs of the ongoing SA20, said former South Africa captain and coach Mark Boucher.
The two-time champions, led by Tristan Stubbs, have already secured a playoff berth following their bonus-point victory over the Jo’burg Super Kings at St George’s Park this week and are now targeting a top-two finish to advance directly to Qualifier 1 at Kingsmead next week.
“I think the team culture is fantastic, and it’s led very well by coach Adrian Birrell. He’s an Eastern Cape boy, and the Eastern Cape people are very homely. They love their home ground and are very humble as well. I know for a fact that Adrian Birrell has tried to drive that into his players.
“We’ve seen video clips of him walking into a changing room and saying to all the players, ‘You must get to learn every person’s name around the ground who looks after you, right from your backroom staff to the people who come in and collect the plates.’ There’s a lot of respect for the people around the ground, and that’s shown in their culture as well,” Boucher told IANS in a virtual session facilitated by SA20.
He also noted how that culture translates into great on-field performances for SEC, who are run by the owners of the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). “They’re very humble, and when they go on the field, they play together as a team. So it doesn’t surprise me that they’ve been like that. You always see them as probably the best fielding side in the team, and fielding is largely about attitude. So they’ve all got great attitudes.
“They understand what their roles are, and they go out there and just want to win — and in a gracious way as well. They keep their feet on the ground, and I think that’s largely driven by Adrian Birrell. So hats off to him; he’s fast becoming one of the best coaches in the world,” added Boucher.
–IANS
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