Paarl Royals spinner Bjorn Fortuin was one of the star players of the first half of the SA20 and he can’t wait to get stuck into the competition again.

Fortuin is joint second on the SA20 wicket-takers list with 13. He has been lethal upfront in the powerplay and struck regularly in his first over.  

However, the 28-year-old has done most of his damage playing in Paarl and is keen to show what he can do on the Highveld.

“I really wish I could [roll up the Boland Park surface]. I try to keep my gameplans simple there,” Fortuin said.

“I work very closely with our analyst and spin consultant Richard das Neves. They have been very helpful with what works on that wicket and what doesn’t.

“I just try to stick to that plan as much as I can. Some days batters will get the best of you and get you off that plan. But for the most part I think I’ve stuck to my plan.” 

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The Paarl Royals have completed their home leg of the competition and now travel north for their two remaining matches against Joburg Super Kings (Wanderers) and Pretoria Capitals (Centurion).

Fortuin is not intimidated by the prospect of bowling at these batting paradises, as he has played all his domestic cricket for Lions at the Wanderers for the past decade.  

“From our team perspective, I definitely feel like our batting lineup is more suited to the conditions up on the Highveld,” he said.

“The ball does fly and the wickets play a lot better up here. The bounce is a lot more true, there is more pace, so they’ll favour that. 

“In terms of my bowling, I don’t think I will change too much. Maybe a tweak here or there.  

“Like I said it does have a few different challenges like Boland Park would have, the ball does fly and the wickets play a bit better but I feel like I’ve built up enough experience to deal with those challenges up here.” 

The second half of the Betway SA20 gets underway at Kingsmead on Thursday when Durban’s Super Giants host MI Cape Town.