Graham Thorpe

Graham Thorpe

Experience eluded English teams

Fri Oct 23 08:41AM

The two English sides - Somerset and Sussex - did not set the Champions League on fire, but that was mainly to do with their inexperience of playing Indian conditions.

There is not enough international experience in Somerset or Sussex's squads and that has probably counted against them as they crashed out of the inaugural competition.

If you look at the IPL sides they have such a wealth of experience at the highest level of the game, as do teams like New South Wales and Trinidad and Tobago.

For Somerset to lose their second most experienced player in international terms, Marcus Trescothick (pictured), it left far too much pressure on Justin Langer to lead the side.

You simply cannot afford to lose one of your key players when the squad is so thin.

I would not say that the two English sides were naive, but it certainly took me two A-tours in India to adjust my game to the conditions and gain experience.

The style of cricket is required in India demands that you exploit the early overs on flat wickets.

To play aggressively from the off is not generally the way English sides are used to playing, even in the Twenty20 format.

It is very difficult for a county player to be thrown suddenly into the spotlight and have to play in front of a huge crowd in an intimidating atmosphere.

There was a distinct lack of experience in the two squads if you compare them to NSW and the big name stars scattered across the IPL teams.

T & T have been superb too and they have benefited from having played a lot together as a unit. They also possess a good number of players who have represented West Indies at big international competitions in the past.

The success of T & T makes everyone realise the immense potential sides from the West Indies have, especially when they are organised and helping themselves.

I am keen for West Indies to hold together as a group of islands in cricket terms and, while T & T have been successful, their identity should not change.

There is no doubt that cricket in the West Indies is now heavily weighted towards the Twenty20 format and everyone in the game likes to see them compete at a good level.

As for the Dirk Nannes situation, with the fast bowler having played for both Victoria and the Delhi Daredevils, it is a shame it has to be such an issue.

I imagine the IPL sides will always have precedent over their players and Nannes probably had very little say in the matter.

It is a real shame for the bowler that he could not represent his home team, but that is the way the game is going with the IPL having the power.

Twenty20 Champions League final LIVE at 3.15pm on Friday October 23 on British Eurosport 2 (Sky 411 / Virgin Media 525). Also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe

  • Comments1 - 7 of 7

  1. This is complete drivel. And why did all of the Indian IPL sides crash out? Presumably the same reason eh? Lack of experience in Indian conditions. Or is it because they simply didn't play well enough? Truth is the English sides were an embarrassment to watch, they batted on every instance like headless chickens without bats. It's an interesting fact to note that not a single team making it to the semis had an overseas player in their ranks. Four homegrown teams that play as a unit.

    stevedon7From stevedon7 on Fri Oct 23 11:10AM

    Report abuse

  2. English teams crashed out because they did not play to the conditions. Blaming the pitch is not good even for county players, with players like Yardy, Hamilton Brown, Luke wright, Arafat, Langer... In a pitch where everyone struggled [Ferosha Kotla, DELHI] but they learned quickly, but English teams were sloppy like they never known about playing in low bouncing tracks. It is not good for ENGLISH CRICkET if they want excuses like this.

    indorush_roseFrom indorush_rose on Fri Oct 23 12:15PM

    Report abuse

  3. IPL team crashed out, because they did not field well... Too much opportunities they missed. It was very clear.

    indorush_roseFrom indorush_rose on Fri Oct 23 12:16PM

    Report abuse

  4. Victoria should have taken precedence over Delhi Daredevils as it's Dirk's home side. Money should not always talk.

    smiling.phasesFrom smiling.phases on Sat Oct 24 10:18PM

    Report abuse

  5. The experience of playing in the Champions League should have benefitted the Sussex and Somerset players a lot - it will be interesting to see how they play next season.

    wicketmaidenFrom wicketmaiden on Wed Oct 28 05:47PM

    Report abuse

  6. They lost because they were not the same class as the rest
    county cricket is of a very poor quality

    michael.dewberryFrom michael.dewberry on Thu Oct 29 05:02PM

    Report abuse

  7. Recently, I discovered a hot club -- T a l l h u b Co­ m­ -- where many sexy tall players who like sports and­­ chatting there. I'm an open minded girl from UK, I­­ also like discuss sports and love with tall guys on it.

    ritahyti01From ritahyti01 on Thu Nov 26 09:56AM

    Report abuse

    Comment on this article

    Please sign in to add your comments.