Exclusive: Dan Lawrence Poised for Captaincy Test in Royals’ Season-Defining Eliminator

The Paarl Royals say their focus is always very much on today, but one can forgive Dan Lawrence for thinking of the future in terms of both his personal life and his cricket career, even as he prepares himself for probably leading the team in their crunch SA20 Eliminator against the Joburg Super Kings in Centurion on Thursday.

Lawrence confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that he will captain the team if David Miller is ruled out by the groin injury he suffered in their last round-robin game, also against the Joburg Super Kings, in Paarl earlier this week. 

Miller's absence with the bat was sorely felt as the Royals failed to chase down 167, suffering a costly defeat that prevented them from finishing in the top two and having two chances of making the final due to the same playoff system being used as in the IPL.

Lawrence missed the franchise's first four games as he was helping the Desert Vipers to the International League T20 title in Dubai, but he has enjoyed a fine maiden SA20 campaign, scoring 158 runs in six matches at an average of 31.60 and a strike-rate of 133.89. He has also bowled tidy off-spin, conceding just 51 runs in his seven overs and taking a couple of wickets.

The 28-year-old said on Wednesday that he has thoroughly enjoyed his time with the Paarl Royals, and has been delighted to be based in the Boland winelands, especially since he has a major life milestone coming up in the area.

"As soon as I signed for the Paarl Royals I was over the moon. I have an affiliation for the Cape, I come here a lot with my partner and travel, and we're getting married 10 minutes away from the hotel we're staying in in Paarl,” Lawrence told SportsBoom.co.za. 

"It's been awesome playing here too, the ground doesn't have the same capacity as some of the others, but the crowd makes up for it with their vocals and how loud they are. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here.” 

"The SA 20 has also been awesome; every game has had an incredible atmosphere and there's been a real family vibe at all the grounds. The standard is obviously really high and I'm really glad I've had the chance to experience it. Although the schedule is a bit manic, you play a lot of games quickly," Lawrence added. 

The past not dug up

Paarl Royals have finished in the top four in all four editions of the SA20 but have tended to be fast out of the blocks and then lost form at the back end of the competition. They have never played in the final, and now they have to beat the Joburg Super Kings on Thursday and then either the Sunrisers Eastern Cape or Pretoria Capitals on Friday to reach the showpiece match. But coach Trevor Penney has ensured the past has not been dug up.

“I haven't heard anything spoken about previous years in the camp. We've just been very focused on what we want to achieve, which is winning the tournament, and we're taking it game by game.” 

"I haven't played a lot in South Africa, but I knew Paarl would take spin and be a bit slow, but up here on the highveld, the pitches are faster and the ball flies. But we take a lot of encouragement from winning here last week and JSK are also very fresh in our memories, and it will be a massive benefit having had a good look at all their batsmen and bowlers earlier this week. It's allowed us to plan accordingly," Lawrence said.

Whatever Thursday's result, Lawrence will have more tomorrows to look forward to on the cricket field as he prepares for the English pre-season. 

And what a big season is coming up for English cricket with their national team enduring testing times after their Ashes loss in Australia, accompanied by lurid stories of booze-filled escapades; it seems coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes are unlikely to both survive the review that the England and Wales Cricket Board have announced.

Lawrence has played 14 Tests for England, the last of them in September 2024, but he has always been considered one of England's most natural talents. Given his considerable white-ball experience and his handy bowling, a change of management in the English national set-up could see the Essex product return to favour.

"The boys [England] have had a tough winter; it's very tricky touring Australia. It's very hard to go there and win and everything normally spirals from there. My personal ambition is still huge to play for England, whether that be Test match cricket, one-dayers or T20. Hopefully I can keep scoring runs and maybe one day I'll get the nod," Lawrence concluded.