Abu Dhabi T10: Asalanka named Chennai Braves captain, Mathews to lead Northern Warriors

Whiteball cricket has been a deathbed for bowlers, tilting the contests heavily in favour of the batters. The shorter the format is, the more pressure bowlers come under on flat pitches giving batters the licence to kill. However, the bowlers have managed to stay in the race by bringing in new variations under their armoury against power-hitters of modern era. Former Sri Lankan skipper Aneglo Mathews feels that sporting pitches will make the contests more interesting.

“A 50-50 wicket will make the game more interesting. A good tussle between bat and ball. These days bowlers have developed massive skills to make it better and better. If you prepare those type of wickets, that will bring more balance to matches,” Mathews said on the eve of seventh Abu Dhabi T10, to begin at Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Tuesday.
 
Talking about the impact of T10 and T20 in longer formats, Mathews said: “The game has got faster and faster. I won’t be surprised that you get a T5 in future. The shorter formats have had massive impact on 50-over game as we could see 400-plus scores these days. Some of the shots that are being played in 50-over formats are amazing, so it has impacted in a good way, however bowlers are at receiving end on flat pitches.”

Equipment malfunction

Mathews knows how difficult it is to be a bowler in the shorter formats as a pace-bowling all-rounder. The former Sri Lankan captain returned to international cricket after being faced with several injuries. But his return to international cricket has been not all too pleasant.

Mathews became the first player in the 146-year history of cricket to be dismissed timed out during the 50-over World Cup match against Bangladesh in New Delhi. Mathews had come in to bat after the fall of Sadeera Samarawickrama in the 25th over but was unable to secure his helmet strap tightly enough, an action which delayed the resumption of play. As a result, the former captain had taken more than two minutes to take strike and Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan appealed, which the umpires upheld.

Talking about the incident, Mathews called for a commonsense approach in the future. “It was down to equipment malfunction. The umpires could have had a commonsense approach instead of coming to conclusions straight away and consulted with the third umpire. It’s an one-off incident and I respect the umpires decision,” added the Northern Warriors skipper, who is eyeing a record third crown with Deccan Gladiators’ captain Nicholas Pooran.

In anticipation of another explosive season of cricket’s fastest format, Abu Dhabi T10 2023 opener will see defending champions Deccan Gladiators face last year’s runners-up New York Strikers, led by Kieron Pollard. The eight-team tournament runs from November 28 to December 9.

‘Aim to retain trophy’

England all-rounder Moeen Ali will lead Morrisville Samp Army, Charith Asalanka will captain Chennai Braves, West Indian Rovman Powell will guide Delhi Bulls from the front, Team Abu Dhabi have Dwaine Pretorius as their skipper and Benny Howell has replaced Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan as the Bangla Tigers captain.

Pooran, who was also the highest run-scorer of the last season with 345 runs in 10 matches at an average of 49.29 and a strike rate of 234.69, said that he wished to win the record third title for Gladiators this season. “It was a good season for me last time around, and I was happy to contribute to the team’s success, not only as captain but also as a batsman. Our target this year is to retain the trophy and we will continue to play the kind of cricket we like to play. It would be an honour for me to lead Gladiators to a record third title this time around. I am ready to take up any role the team wants me to,” the West Indian left-hander said.

Presently, Gladiators and Northern Warriors are the only two teams to have won two titles. The Warriors have made a strong choice in Mathews as skipper, who has been one of the most successful captains for Sri Lanka in international cricket.

Source: Gulf News 
--Agencies