Bjorn Fortuin ready to spin West Indies into knots in East London

Gqeberha – A clean slate, a fresh environment and added responsibility due to the injury of Keshav Maharaj excites Proteas spinner Bjorn Fortuin ahead the first ODI at Buffalo Park in East London.

The Proteas landed in East London on Monday and had their first training session on Tuesday ahead of the three match ODI series against the West Indies which starts at Buffalo Park on Thursday.

Fortuin was selected in the squad for the series alongside spinner Keshav Maharaj while Tabraiz Shamsi missed out on selection.

Shamsi was called in to join the Proteas ODI set-up on Sunday as Maharaj’s replacement for the series.

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Fortuin told the media on Tuesday that more responsibility is on his shoulders to perform as a result of the injury to Maharaj.

“The spot that has opened up has put a lot of responsibility on me now with losing Keshav. That’s a high standard that needs to be fulfilled,” said Fortuin.

Fortuin goes into the ODI series having scored a match winning century for the Lions in domestic cricket a week ago. The all-rounder also had a stellar SA20 campaign with the Paarl Royals, displaying his prowess in high pressure situations.

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“I do pride myself to put in performances with the bat. To come into the series with form with bat and ball is something that I’m looking forward to. It’s a big challenge playing against the West Indies, especially in white ball cricket, so to have some sort of form and reference points going into this is something I’m looking forward to,” he said.

“Looking back at the past season, it was a memorable tournament with the Royals. It was special being part of the first SA20. Even though I wasn’t involved in the England (ODI) series, I do take a lot of confidence that I’ve put in performances for the Royals and my domestic side, the Lions, as well.”

The 28-year-old has only played three ODIs since making his debut against England at Kingsmead Stadium three years ago. He goes into a new team environment, with a new coaching staff under Rob Walter.

Fortuin testified to the players’ excitement to join a fresh environment and revealed that they all start with a clean slate come Thursday afternoon.

“It’s a fresh start for me,” he said.

“A lot of the players are excited about the new challenge that lays ahead of us. Everyone sort of has that feeling of starting with a clean slate. It feels like a fresh environment and everyone is trying to enjoy cricket again.

“I think that’s the most important thing – to have fun out there and look after the performances.”

@imongamagcwabe