Aneurin Donald's strike rate of 225 topped The Hundred table of regular batters during the group stages. The Welsh batter will now look to soar for the Trent Rockets in the Hundred final at Lord's.
Donald will take his place in the top order of the Nottingham-based Trent Rockets when they face Manchester Superchargers. The 29-year-old from Gorseinon near Swansea has a special place in his heart for Welsh cricket, despite playing for Derbyshire and the Trent Rockets.
"I am massively proud and passionate of my heritage and Welsh cricket," said Donald. He left Glamorgan in 2018 to join Derbyshire, but remains a strong supporter of Welsh cricket.
Donald's remarkable strike rate has led to a breakthrough in The Hundred, with the 29-year-old hoping to be part of a successful Trent Rockets side in front of a capacity crowd in London. "It's going to be exciting to roll out in Lord's in front of a full crowd in a final," he said.
Donald was picked up in the auction by Trent Rockets and experienced a successful T20 Blast campaign with Derbyshire. He was the sixth highest runs scorer with 489 in the tournament, but it was his astonishing strike of 230 that stood out. "It's an obvious strength of mine, and this format is compressed even more," said Donald.
Donald has not given up hopes of a call-up in white-ball cricket, despite never quite materialising in senior international honours. "The landscape's changed since I made my first-class debut," said Donald. "You now have franchise cricket and these opportunities around the world to play in front of massive crowds on the biggest stage with the best players and that's a massive draw."
After The Hundred, Donald will play in a 10-over league in Canada, before potentially featuring in lucrative 20-over tournaments in UAE, Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the holy grail for franchise cricketers, according to Donald.
Donald is a big supporter of the Hundred concept, which has divided cricket fans. "It is safe to say the standard has gone up this year, especially with the overseas players we have," said Donald. "Guys who play in leagues around the world can't speak highly enough of The Hundred."
Donald's hopes are now set on the Trent Rockets, who will face Manchester Superchargers in the Hundred final. The 29-year-old will look to soar for the Rockets in front of a capacity crowd at Lord's.
Source: Yahoo Sports