The Fort Worth Press - Du Plessis says Dutch talent is 'secret sauce' of new Euro T20 franchise

Organisers of the European T20 Premier League, co-founded by Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, have created a tournament featuring six city-based teams in Glasgow, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast and Rotterdam.

Amsterdam are owned by a group led by Australia great Steve Waugh, while Edinburgh are run by former New Zealand internationals Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills.

The ETPL, whose inaugural edition will feature 33 matches from August 26 to September 20, aims to boost cricket on the continent.

The Netherlands, a non-Test nation, have enjoyed several notable international successes in white-ball cricket, defeating England, South Africa and the West Indies, but Du Plessis is keen to help broaden their base of talent.

The 41-year-old batsman, a veteran of the global T20 circuit, is not just the captain of the Rotterdam side but a co-owner alongside fellow former South Africa internationals Jonty Rhodes and Heinrich Klaasen.

"We, as players, have never been a part of the conversation when it comes to co-owning," Du Plessis told AFP. "We have always just looked at leagues and you almost become a gun for hire around the world in terms of playing.

"Now there is the opportunity of it being something more."

The hard-hitting Klaasen, who retired from international duty last year, is also set to play for Rotterdam.

But Du Plessis said his worldwide experience of T20 cricket had convinced him of the importance of local talent to follow in the footsteps of current Netherlands stars such as Bas de Leede and Logan van Beek.

"It's not your overseas players that win you competitions, it's the local players," he said.

"You can look around the world and you see the teams that get that right, so I see it as exactly that. It's not the South Africans coming in from overseas and creating the strength of the team. The real secret sauce for any team is how well do you tap into the local players?"

- 'Bit scary' -

For the 56-year-old Rhodes, one of the outstanding fielders of his generation and later a coach, the chance to become a co-owner was too tempting to pass up.

"It is an exciting place to be, (but) it's a bit scary. I mean, we don't just copy and paste what other people have done before. That uniqueness of starting something is pretty special."

Klaasen, a current star in the Indian Premier League, is confident the new league will be a success.

"It's a no-brainer. The names that are involved in this league -- I know for sure that it will be a quality league when it starts.

"I've still got a lot of cricket in me. It might be at the back end of my career, but that's a few years away.

"So hopefully in five years we will have a great set-up and a great infrastructure and that we develop the game in Europe quite a bit."

And Klaasen, 34, is well aware of the quality within Dutch cricket, having twice been on the losing side in World Cup matches.

"I've lost against the Netherlands twice in very crucial moments in my career," he said.

P.Grant--TFWP