Abu Dhabi T10 Season 6: SAMP Army sign Jonty Rhodes as Global Mentor

Morrisville
SAMP
Army,
one
of
two
new
teams,
have
made
their
intentions
clear
for
the
tournament,
picking
a
strong
side
and
also
appointing
the
very
experienced
former
South
African
legend
Jonty
Rhodes
as
the
mentor.
Rhodes
will
join
his
former
teammate
and
close-friend
Lance
Klusener,
the
head
coach,
said
that
he
is
looking
forward
to
what
is
a
new
challenge
for
him.

“One
of
the
real
benefits
of
my
role
with
the
SAMP
Army
is
that
I
am
not
restricted
to
just
the
mentorship
role
with
the
team.
I
want
to
add
value
at
the
grassroot
levels
as
well.
And
with
the
presence
in
India
and
North
America
as
well,
it’s
an
amazing
opportunity
for
me
to
be
able
to
hopefully
add
value,”
Rhodes
said.

“I
am
looking
forward
to
working
more
with
the
SAMP
Army
franchise
with
Ritesh
Patel
and
Madhukar
Shree
leading
the
way.”

The
former
South
African
ace
went
on
to
explain
that
his
role
as
a
mentor
will
be
down
to
addressing
some
of
the
bigger
picture
situations
in
a
high-intensity
tournament.

“The
T10
is
the
fastest
format
in
the
game,
and
as
a
mentor
I
will
look
to
address
the
bigger
picture
situation.
The
coaching
staff
can
get
caught
up
with
the
match
and
every
over
and
ball.
But
as
a
mentor,
you’re
not
looking
at
particular
incidents,
you
are
trying
to
bring
your
experience
to
help
and
allow
the
players
to
do
what
they
do
best.”

“Sometimes
you’re
not
needed
but
then
there
are
times
when
the
coaches
and
the
players
might
need
to
bounce
some
ideas
off
of
you,
and
I
feel
this
is
a
role
that
I
can
certainly
play.”

Rhodes,
one
of
the
most
feared
names
in
the
final
decade
of
the
last
century,
also
touched
upon
how
the
game
has
evolved
from
his
days
as
a
player.

“We
were
quite
interested
in
using
technology
to
assist
us
with
training
methods
and
understanding
opponents.
So,
we
were
one
of
the
first
sides
to
adopt
technology
in
that
sense,
and
I
have
always
been
a
firm
believer
that
there
is
constant
change
in
the
sport,
and
cricket
does
continue
to
evolve.
So
T10’s
been
around
for
a
while,
and
in
many
places,
it
is
a
very
popular
format
because
it
takes
less
time,”
said
Rhodes.

“The
best
players
want
to
play
this
tournament,
and
we
have
some
of
the
best
in
the
business
coming
for
the
Abu
Dhabi
T10,
and
that’s
what
you
want
to
see
really.”

The
8-team
tournament
kicks
off
on
November
23,
with
the
Morrisville
SAMP
Army
playing
their
first
game
on
November
24th.
Looking
ahead
to
the
fortnight
of
cricket,
Morrisville
SAMP
Army
CEO
Madhukar
Shree
said,
“We
are
keenly
awaiting
the
first
matchday,
and
I
can
tell
you,
that
Lance
and
Jonty
are
doing
all
they
can
to
ensure
we
put
our
best
foot
forward.
The
SAMP
Army
mean
business
and
we
have
two
South
Africans
who
revolutionised
the
game
in
their
own
way.
We
are
all
hoping
for
more
of
the
same
in
Abu
Dhabi.”

“It’s
a
pleasure
having
someone
as
experienced
as
Jonty
onboard
for
Samp
Army
globally.
His
experience
and
immense
knowledge
will
surely
help
our
franchise
go
to
the
next
level,”
said
Ritesh
Patel,
Owner
SAMP
Army.

Source:
Media
Release