SIMPHIWE NHLABATHI
After TuksCricket’s win at the inaugural Varsity Cup Cricket Tournament on 8 February, Perdeby spoke to the man who picked the squad and led the team to win the tournament. Pierre de Bruyn is a former professional cricket player (having played for the Titans and the Dolphins), the head coach of UP Cricket, technical director of TuksSport and Supersport commentator.
Do you believe that your performance in this year’s Varsity Cricket Tournament was due to the confidence in your triumph at the Red Bull World Campus Cricket tournament?
It definitely has got a lot to do with that, as we got a lot of experience and confidence from the Varsity World Cup.
A lot of people believe that the wealth of talent in the Tuks team is what led to the team’s success in this year’s tournament. What do you think led to the success?
Talent plays a small part in the success. It came down to extremely hard work in our preparation as well as mastering our skill levels. We train [for] pressure situations and, with that, develop mental toughness.
Are there any definitive attributes that made you appoint Klaasen as captain?
There is no shock in that. Heinrich is the most experienced player and played further in T20 cricket this season. He is a fantastic leader and senior player.
Looking back at the tournament, are there any matches you wish could have been different?
We lost one match [against the University of the Western Cape – losing by 19 runs] and I thought that, actually, though that woke us up.
With the Red Bull Campus Cricket Tournament in 2015, can we expect a change in players and team leadership or are you planning on keeping a well-oiled machine and going forward?
Yes. There could be [a change in players]. We are going to the subcontinent and I will have to pick a well-balanced squad suited for the conditions in India.
Image provided.
