Stephen Fleming in a recent interview about the non-performance of the Chennai Super Kings in 2020 IPL, mentioned that there aren’t that many good players available and that the available talent fetches high premium. I had argued in one of the earlier post that Stephen Fleming must cast his net wide. If only CSK and Fleming had done that, they would have found that there are plenty of talented players available in India and in the world for the Chennai Super Kings to sign. Probably, the fortune of CSK would have changed if only Fleming and CSK had done that.
Fleming’s comments
“Teams now and squads are a lot smarter and they really want what they want, so talent is at a premium.
Jason Holder went unsold
The West Indies captain Jason Holder who is a very good batsman and a decent bowler was unsold in the IPL auction. He may not be a great cricketer but he certainly is a good T20 player. He proved that in his short stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad. In his very first game when he played instead of the injured Kane Williamson, he made an immediate impact. He picked up 3 wickets that included the in-form Sanju Samson and the brilliant Steve Smith.
In the game against Kings XI Punjab, Holder took a couple of wickets and went for under 7 an over. In T20 cricket, that is like hitting a jackpot. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he came in and scored a quick 26 of just 10 deliveries. This was after bowling 4 tight overs. His performances were so good that David Warner had to drop Johnny Bairstow to make way for Kane Williamson. Jason Holder was one of the prime performer in the Caribbean Premier League that was held earlier this year. How did Fleming and CSK did not see this is really not convincing.
Jason Holder is one of the many talented cricketers who went unsold in the IPL auction. How CSK would have loved to replace Watson, Jadhav, Chawla and host of others.
Shane Watson retires from cricket
As I write this, Shane Watson has announced that he will retire from all forms of the game. It includes IPL as well which means CSK will be one less player nearing the age of 40. Shane Watson when he first burst onto the international scene, was thought of a special talent. He never had any real weakness for any sort of bowling and on any wicket. He could play pace and spin with ease. However, he probably lost his confidence after being asked to open for Australia in Test Cricket. Watson was more of a lower middle order batsman who can be destructive and who can bowl few overs at good pace. Unfortunately, the Australian selectors decided to make him open the innings and that proved to be his downfall. Shane Warne certainly expected a lot from Shane Watson.
Watson’s message
“It really does feel like the right time. Knowing that I’ve played my last game of cricket, ever, for my beloved CSK, who’ve been so incredibly good to me over the last three years. To think that I’m finishing up my playing days as a 39-year-old after all of my injury setbacks that I’ve had along the way, I feel so ridiculously fortunate.”
Watson must have decided
If only Watson had decided like Laxman never to open again, he would have been an asset for the Australian team. Especially, when they were struggling to find suitable replacements for their great players.
Shane Watson did not have a great international career but he did have more than a good IPL run. His hundred in the final against Mumbai Indians a few years ago was just a sample what Watson could have achieved if only he had placed more emphasis on his performance. His pull of a fiery Wahab Riaz in the 2015 World Cup game bears testimony to the fact how destructive Watson could have been.
How many knew that there was a series going on?
Pakistan and Zimbabwe were recently engaged in a short one day series. Outside of Pakistan, I do not think that anyone would have bothered about this series. As expected Pakistan won the series but Zimbabwe did manage to win one game. This despite the fact Pakistan were playing with their complete team. It is really confusing as to how and why Pakistan manage and lose quite often and quite frequently to teams that are not good enough? They are the only team to lose to West Indies even in Asia. They lose series consistently to other teams who find it difficult to win in India and Sri Lanka.
The highlight of this series is that it was played during the pandemic and that too in Pakistan. Apart from that, this series did not capture anyone’s imagination.
Other articles related to IPL can be read here, here and here.