The self-anointed “CEO of the MI Cape Town dug out” Dane Piedt is looking forward to returning to Newlands for Betway SA20 Season 4.
Piedt, 35, is a son of the Newlands soil and is a firm fan favourite after returning home after a sabbatical in the US where he also featured in Major League Cricket.
The off-spinner only featured in one match of MI Cape Town’s championship-winning Season 3 campaign, but showed his worth with the excellent figures of 3/28 against the Pretoria Capitals.
In fact, Piedt made a sensational start to his MI franchise career when he had England international Will Jacks caught behind with his very first ball in Betway SA20. It was a carrom ball that went away from the right-hander instead of spinning back like a regular off-spinner.
He also clean-bowled youngster Steve Stolk and had New Zealand allrounder Jimmy Neesham caught on the boundary.
But the veteran knows that he sits behind captain Rashid Khan and allrounder George Linde in the spin pecking order and that he has a bigger role to play within the MI Cape Town squad.
“I am the CEO of the dugout, so I don’t play much, but I bring the energy in the dugout,” Piedt said.
“Looking forward to meeting up with new players that didn’t play with last year to make them feel comfortable.”
Newlands buzzed during Season 3 with all five home matches sold out and Piedt expects the MI Cape Town faithful to come out in their thousands again this coming season to support the defending champions.
“I think Newlands is the greatest ground on the planet,” Piedt said. “That’s not because I am from Cape Town, and played there for 10 years for the Cobras, but for the fact that the people there understand the game.
“They set high expectations, and the MI franchise sets these same standards. Hopefully, the guys feed off that, and we do it again this year.”
MI Cape Town begin their title defence against Durban’s Super Giants in the competition opener with Table Mountain overlooking in all its glory on December 26.
