Sharjah, 15th December, 2023: The second season of the ILT20 is not too far away, and will kick off with the Capri Sports owned Sharjah Warriors facing the defending champions Gulf Giants in the opener, at one of cricket’s most loved venues, Sharjah.
The Sharjah Warriors, who will be eyeing a strong start to the tournament, have announced the England cricketer Tom Kohler-Cadmore as their captain for the upcoming season. A hard-hitting right-handed batter, Kohler-Cadmore is known for his ability to score quickly, and has played some fantastic knocks during his career so far in white-ball cricket. A regular in the franchise cricket circuit, the 29-year-old wicket-keeper batter has had a fair amount of success while playing the shorter formats in UAE, and boasts of a strike rate of 140 plus in T20s. He has also scored 1 century and smashed 33 half-centuries in more than 150 T20 matches in his career, during which he has scored more than 4000 runs as well.
“I am honoured and delighted to have been named as the captain for the Sharjah Warriors. We have a strong squad that has a healthy mix of experience and youth and plenty of fire power in the ranks as well, and with all of that together, we will be looking to make a solid mark at the ILT20 this season. Each team will be tough competitors, but we are going to give it our very best in every game, said Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Captain, Sharjah Warriors.
The Sharjah Warriors have also named the former South African Captain Johan Botha as the Head Coach while his compatriot JP Duminy is the Batting Coach. Former Warwickshire cricketer Ian Westwood will be the Assistant and Fielding Coach for the Warriors.
Botha has been coaching in franchise cricket since 2017 and has moved around the block a fair bit, plying his trade in the Pakistan Super League, and the Caribbean Premier League with multiple franchises.
Meanwhile, JP Duminy has had a storied international cricket career and turned out in high-profile leagues such as the IPL. Earlier in 2023, Duminy was appointed as the full-time batting coach for the South African men’s white-ball cricket teams, and the team performed brilliantly with the bat at the ODI World Cup in India, where they regularly scored in excess of 300. He was the Head Coach at the Paarl Royals in the SA20 league and at the Boland Rocks’ provincial team
In ODI cricket, During the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, Duminy became the first South African to take a hat-trick in a World Cup match, and was well known for his ability in the field as well as with the bat.
“The Sharjah Warriors are preparing with full enthusiasm for the upcoming season of the ILT20. We have built a strong squad that we feel would allow us to put our best foot forward during the tournament and cause a stir. We are looking forward to the tournament, and are excited to see what lies in store” said Johan Botha, Head Coach, Sharjah Warriors.
“In white-ball cricket, especially in the shorter formats, it is very important to have an aggressive mindset, and at the Sharjah Warriors we are confident that our batters will do their bit to keep things moving forward. We have a powerful line-up and there is every scope to cause serious damage to some of the records in the format. said JP Duminy, Batting Coach, Sharjah Warriors.
Speaking on the occasion, Capri Sports, COO Kshemal Waingankar said, “We have some of the best in the business taking on important leadership roles for the second season of the ILT20 for the Sharjah Warriors, and we are confident that they will help provide the team with the right kind of boost. The tournament is an important one in the cricket calendar, and we at Capri Sports will leave no stone unturned in terms of our preparations.”
The Sharjah Warriors is Capri Sports’ first investment in cricket outside of India. They also own a team, UP Warriorz, in the Women’s Premier League in India, alongside supporting indigenous sports such Kabaddi and Kho-Kho.
