CLT20 update ......... and the experienced player on view

The game of Cricket is big money – especially IPL and its cousin CL T20 ... it is tough to break the ground and get selected – it is tougher still to stay put and for that one needs to perform well – and those who perform well on debut are likely to be in the main for great deal of time or so one thought..... here is a story of a player whose maiden Test wicket was Brian Lara, in ODI it was Sachin Tendulkar – in the same Test he had scores of ...  107 coming in at no. 8 and remained 67 not out in the second innings. – he ended up playing 29 tests and 188 One dayers (1586/4483 runs and 20/137 wickets) ...

Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), the 6th edition is on -  the tournament features a qualifying stage and a group stage. The qualifying stage consists of four teams playing a round-robin tournament. The top two teams qualify for the group stage, Lahore Lions (from Pak), Mumbai Indians, Northern Knights(New Zealand), Southern Express (Sri Lanka) are battling it out.

Mumbai Indians kept their qualifying chances alive with a much-improved performance in the batting and the bowling to comprehensively beat Southern Express with 22 balls to spare.  After Saturday's defeat to Lahore Lions, Mumbai had to win to stay in contention. They did, thanks chiefly to their overseas openers Lendl Simmons and Michael Hussey, who put on 139 in under 15 overs. Mumbai and Lions now have four points each, behind Northern Knights' eight, and while Express are at the bottom, all four teams still have a chance of qualifying.

In the other match, Northern Knights set us a challenging 171 target – Flynn and Watling scored well; then  Tim Southee and Trent Boult had the ball zipping around to have Lions 19 for 5 – and finally had  a  crushing 72-run victory. The Paki lions displayed butter fingers – catches were floored, fielding was not up to the mark.  Akmal messed up a stumping in the second over and shelled a regulation catch in the 17th. Nasir Jamshed lost control of a catch, could not rein it in on the rebound and failed to realise a run-out opportunity all off the same ball.  There was a comic sight when the 39 year old veteran Scott Styris played the ball to the deep – there were two fielders, both were rooted as batsmen ran three.

This Northern Districts all rounder has come a long way – born in Brisbane, Australia in 1975, he has played for New Zeland – in IPL for CSK and Deccan Chargers and for English Counties too.   Made his ODI debut in 1999 and Test debut in 2002 – was integral part of the team in 2007 WC – a seamer, who was initially who can bat and then a batsman who will bowl a few.  Would have debuted earlier at Karachi, the match which did not happen due to bomb blast – then played in Caribbean  - recently playing for Leicestershire made a stormy 63 against Derbyshire.

Made his ODI debut at Rajkot when NZ made 349 thanks to fluent century by Nathan Astle.  India made 306; Styris had figures of 10-0-63-3 (Sachin, Srinath & Venkatesh Prasad) .  In his debut Test at Queens Park, Grenada in July 2002 -  he was the last man out making 107 coming at no. 8.  Gayle made 204 and Styris took the wickets of Lara and Nagamootoo ......... the warrior is still playing – now for  Northern Knights in CL T20.

For Northern Districts there is another Scott – Scott Christopher Kuggelejin  - a right arm fast bowler – yet to earn International cap.  I read about him as he is the son of Chris Kuggelejin, an off-spinner who toured India.  His name entered the record books – for he took that catch off Arunlal in 1988 Test at Bangalore which took Richard Hadlee to the top of wickets in Test Cricket – he was 32 when he made his debut.  Remember him taking the wickets of VB Chandrasekhar twice (both times bowled !!) ... in One Dayers.... read that after retiring he became coach of Northern Districts, but gave that up to become a teacher.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

15^th Sept. 2o14.