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Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014: Key highlights, lessons from qualifiers

There were a few upsets, predictable matches and some interesting things to learn from the six matches played.

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Mumbai Indians © IANS
Mumbai Indians could not qualify for the main stage of the CLT20 2014 © IANS

There were a few upsets, predictable matches and some interesting things to learn from the six matches played in the Champions League T20 2014 (CLT20) qualifiers. Abhijit Banare looks at some key lessons from the qualifiers.

Practice matters: The Northern Knights have been here since two weeks preparing for the tournament. As Anton Devcich mentioned after the last match against Mumbai Indians, they specifically prepared for the slow Indian wickets. Though they aren’t natural players of spin, what they presented in the three matches were exceptional. Kane Williamson has always been a technically solid player, but Devcich and Daniel Flynn too showed the way.

They used their feet well to the spinners and the practice seems to have certainly paid off. Their bowlers too were exceptional. When Trent Boult and Tim Southee run in from either end pitching at a nagging length and swinging it, there’s a lot to worry for the teams in the main stage as well.

Southern Express — The expected minnows: The lack of competition in their domestic structure and the way in which Southern Express had qualified for this tournament indicates that they were merely going to appear to mark themselves present and return with the participating prize money. Express did not look like they were going to win in any of the matches.

The batting was well below par, and the bowlers too looked ineffective barring the experienced Farveez Maharoof. Captain Jehan Mubarak said that they missed Lasith Malinga in the team (he played for Mumbai Indians). That being said, one bowler can’t cover up the lack of quality in rest of the team.

Lahore Lions reflected the inconsistency of their national team: Lahore produced a clinical performance against Mumbai Indians (MI), and looked like a third division club team with the bat just a day later. This is synonymous with their national team known for its inconsistency. At the same time, it’s their bowlers who continue to shine. Aizaz Cheema, Adnan Rasool, Imran Ali, and Wahab Riaz all produced quality performances. Cheema was on a hat-trick in all three matches. But what’s more important is he picked up those wickets early in the innings. One hopes that someday these bowlers will get to play more T20 cricket around the world, especially in the Indian premier League (IPL) and make the matches more interesting.

Catches don’t always win matches, in fact dropped catches do! Northern Knights in their first match against Southern Express virtually could not hold on to anything in the 10-over match. They had missed four catches in the first five overs, with ‘keeper BJ Watling too contributing a handful of dropped chances all through the innings. Despite this, they went on to win. Mumbai Indians, in their only win of the qualifying stage, had such an abysmal day while fielding that one wouldn’t be surprised if Jonty Rhodes and Robin Singh had walked out with a cane in hand to teach the basics that night. And then there were Lahore Lions against Southern Express on Tuesday, whose fielding mimicked that of their national team. It also explains how bad Express were. Despite the opposition being well below par on the field, they couldn’t capitalise on it.

On a serious note, the Knights did show what good fielding can do. They saved at least 20-odd runs in the field against Mumbai and piled on the pressure before they caved in.

Money can’t decide sporting success: The moment Mumbai Indians went down, there were jibes at how a cash-rich team still failed to produce results, while those with far lesser financial resources produced results. Team sports in particular are about performing as a unit more than anything else. Putting a bunch of match-winners in one team won’t guarantee wins unless they back each other. Another cash-rich team like Chennai Super Kings have at least eight world-class players, but their success has been more due to the team striking as a unit than just individual performances. On the other hand, the Knights also showed an example of the same despite having limited resources. They practiced well for the conditions and complimented it with team work. Mind you, they are without two quality all-rounders in Daniel Vettori and Corey Anderson.

In the end, one can say the deserving teams made it to the main stage. It would hardly come as a surprise if they go on to defeat a few teams in their respective groups. The Knights in particular seem like the dark horses to watch out for. They know their preparations have worked and the wins have infused enough confidence to dominate teams better than them on paper.

Complete coverage of Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014 here

(Abhijit Banare is a reporter at CricketCountry. He is an avid quizzer and loves to analyse and dig out interesting facts which allows him to learn something new every day. Apart from cricket he also likes to keep a sharp eye on Indian politics, and can be followed on Twitter and blog)

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