Exclusive: Warriors All-Rounder Senuran Muthusamy Reflects on "Difficult" 2024/25 Season After Helping Side Avoid Relegation

Warriors all-rounder, Senuran Muthusamy, narrated the 2024/25 domestic season as difficult as he helped the team avoid relegation with a century and a five-wicket haul in the last match of the season at St. George's Park in Port Elizabeth.

Surviving relegation

In an exclusive interview, Muthusamy told SportsBoom.co.za that overall, the season has been tough as the side finished in sixth place in the CSA T20 Challenge, fourth in the One Day Cup and last in the Four-Day Series.

The 31-year-old commanded his Warriors teammates and coaching staff for managing to do well in the last rounds of the Four-Day Series, a feat that saw them keep their Division One status.

"It's been really tough this season but it's not just been for us, I think three or four teams when the relegation scrap, so I think it's we've all been in a similar boat, you know, and then the guys really rallied well and pulled together and played really good cricket in the 50-over comp and finished basically finished third, and then we were obviously demoted a spot after being docked points, which wasn't ideal, but it was stuff that we had to deal with," Muthusamy told SportsBoom.co.za. 

"Those were uncontrollables on the players' parts, and it is just what happens along the journey, but credit to the players for staying positive and hanging in there. They played really good cricket in the last two Four-Day games, which was needed after finishing fourth in the 50-over comp and struggling in the T20s as well. We had a really poor start in the four-day competition from the end of last year."

Having honest conversations


Muthusamy told SportsBoom that as a team, they had to have honest conversations about the reality of the relegation threat.

"We've had to have a few difficult and honest conversations. We had to be honest about our reality. We knew what we needed to do to finish the season safely. It's been a tough few months. It's been rough for a lot of guys and a lot of teams," said Muthusamy.

"It was just the reality of the situation we were in and I think it just needed the guys to dig deep, play some good cricket, to be honest. Thankfully, we managed to secure our status in Division One, and I think everybody knows that it's not easy, but we're grateful to have found a way."

"It would have been great for the team to have competed for a trophy, and we were on track, obviously, in the One Day Cup but it wasn't to be, so we had to just accept that and move forward."

Saving the Warriors

The 31-year-old all-rounder scored an unbeaten century in the first innings of their clash against the Dolphins last week, a performance that helped the Warriors post a competitive first innings total.

In the fourth innings of the match, the slow left-arm orthodox took a five-wicket haul to help the Warriors seal a 37-run victory, a victory that saw the Warriors secure their Division One status.

"Just really glad and grateful to be able to finish the season like that with a win and a nice performance with a bat and ball. I think conditions were quite favourable for seam bowling, and it wasn't easy to bat in the first two days," Muthusamy added. 

"But I managed to have a nice partnership with Jordan Hermann and a few guys down the lower order, which was really valuable in making sure that we got to 260 and posted a decent first-innings total."

"I think as a collective we bowled nicely in the last innings and the bowlers rallied really well to bowl the Dolphins out, you know. It was a really good win."

Test cricket

Muthusamy was part of the Proteas Test squad this season, from the tour of the West Indies to the home summer where South Africa hosted Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The 31-year-old told SportsBoom.co.za that he learned a lot being in the Test team environment.

"On a personal note, thankful for Bangladesh and the opportunity I got there. It was a great experience playing in those conditions, and I'm just really grateful that I could contribute meaningfully with the bat and the ball in that game."

"It was fantastic to be a part of the Test squad for the domestic summer, and it was great for me to learn and see how things operate in that environment, in that space."

"We've been playing and winning in the Test space, it's been fantastic. It's been a tough season, but one that has taught us many lessons and, yeah, smarter and wiser for it."