Retired Out: You might feel a bit bad if you're going at a decent strike-rate, says Shai Hope

Pretoria Capitals opener Shai Hope admitted that he would be “very surprised” if he was to be called back to the dug out to be “retired out” during an innings. 

Not that there was any reason to tactically retire Hope on a record-breaking evening at Kingsmead on Wednesday. The West Indies T20 captain smashed the highest-ever individual score by a batter in the Betway SA20 when he blasted an undefeated 118 off 69 balls, eclipsing Kyle Verreynne’s 113 not out two seasons ago.

But Hope had to look on as his batting partner Roston Chase was given the dreaded signal by coach Sourav Ganguly with Kingsmead left stunned at what was actually transpiring. 

Chase had 24 off 15 balls, going at a strike-rate of 160, and was part of a second wicket partnership with Hope that had yielded 85 off 44 balls at a run-rate in excess of 11, but the Windies Test captain had to make his way back for the incoming Sherfane Rutherford.

It was the first time in Betway SA20 history that a batter had been tactically retired out, although the plan backfired with Rutherford caught on the boundary for a second-ball duck. 

Hope admitted that he wasn’t caught unawares with Chase being called in, but that would have raised a few eyebrows if it was him. 

“I would have been very surprised,” he said. “But not entirely (about Chase), because it's happened before. I've been playing against him and he's been retired out. I'm not sure how many times he's been retired out in cricket.

“But I must say, though, as a batter, when you're going at a decent enough strike rate and then you're just called off, you might feel a bit bad. But we know what a dangerous player Sherfane Rutherford can be. He didn't get off this time around, but that's just how it goes.

“Roston could have hit the next few balls for six. That's just how it goes as well. But we understood the reason why he did it. So, I don't think we're too worried about that decision.”

Hope stated that he has the utmost respect for former India captain Ganguly, and has really benefited from having ‘The Prince of Bengal’ in the Capitals changeroom. 

“Yeah, he's got a wealth of experience. He's one of the legends of the game, someone who understands the game really well. And he's almost always talking about cricket,” he said.

“So, I'm sure any knowledge that he can pass on to the guys, he's been doing that very well for the last couple of weeks that we've been here. And he's someone that's always switched on, always trying to find ways we can improve as a team. And it's great to have him around.

“Like I said, he's got a wealth of knowledge. And you can only get better as a batsman, as a cricketer, if you have him in the dressing room.”

Hope certainly showed signs of his development under Ganguly with a cracking innings at Kingsmead. He hopes that it will galvanise the entire Capitals batting unit for the remainder of the competition. 

“I don't think we've played our best cricket yet, but we've shown that we've got the capabilities of winning more games and being a strong team. So just got to keep building that confidence, and I think wins like this certainly will drive a lot of confidence into the dressing room. And the way the guys finish in the back end with the ball, once again, another confidence booster,” he said.

“Maybe we're peaking at the right time. Still a lot of games to go. Still a few more games to really get some of the wrinkles out.

“But I'm still happy to see the direction the team's heading in. From a batting standpoint, we're doing well. Doing a bit more consistent. Just need to put more games together, more complete games together. As long as we do that, I think we're going to be a force to reckon with in the next few games.”