There won't be any additional burden on Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan T20 captain, who will captain MI Cape Town in the SA20 because the leg-spinner has previous captaincy experience, according to Rashid Khan.
On January 10 here at Newlands, the new T20 cricket competition for South Africa gets underway.
In the first SA20, Khan will captain MI Cape Town, and on Tuesday, when the tournament gets underway against the Paarl Royals, his club will be the first to take the field.
"I have already led the Afghanistan side in some games, so the experience of captaincy is there. Also, being vice-captain, I have always been working closely with the leadership group and sharing my inputs on and off the pitch. So, I don't think there will be any added pressure on me," the Afghan spinner said.
"Starting the competition at home ground will be an added advantage for us as well. Overall, I think it will be a good game of cricket. It is important to start the campaign on a positive note. It would be hard in terms of finding the right team combination.
"But the team needs to keep things simple. Many players on our side have experience playing in other leagues so they need to enjoy the game and just do the basics right. I am super excited about this competition to start," he added.
The leg-spinner is one of many superstars in the MI Cape Town lineup, which also features Kagiso Rabada of the Proteas, Sam Curran of England, Jofra Archer, and Liam Livingstone of England, as well as the ICC T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament.
"I think we have a really balanced team; we have a good set of cricketers who are extremely aware of their responsibilities," he remarked. "Taking part in this tournament is a fantastic opportunity. I'm glad to be in South Africa and am eager for the tournament to begin.
As a team, we must remain focused as long as we keep things straightforward. Results are something we cannot control, but we can give it everything we have.
Khan was named Afghanistan's new T20 captain last month, replacing veteran Mohammad Nabi.