Somerset star Roelof Van der Merwe already caught the attention of cricket fans with sensational all-round performances in 2011 CLT20. His tidy bowling, explosive batting, dare devil spirit and never say die attitude mesmerised cricket lovers like me. When Yusuf Pathan and Jacques Kallis are decimating Somerset bowlers, Van der Merwe took the ball and controlled them with clever bowling. Then, Van der Merwe brutally attacked KKR bowlers on a slow Hyderabad wicket as if it was a batting paradise. This South African bowling allrounder plays for Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and for Titans in the South African domestic cricket. He played for South Africa in both T20 and one day formats but failed to establish his place in the squad. CLT20 History: 2008: His team, Nashua Titans qualified for CLT20 but tournament was cancelled due to terrorist attacks in Mumbai. 2009 & 2010: His IPL team (Royal challengers) qualified for Champions League but he was not picked. 2011: He is playing for Somerset as Titans and Delhi Daredevils failed to qualify for CLT20. Van der Merwe performance in 2011 CLT20 cricket: 1. Against Auckland: 25/1 in 4 overs & 18 runs in 16 balls. 2. Against Kolkata Knight Riders: 23/2 in 4 overs & 40 runs in 25 balls. 3. Against Kolkata Knight Riders: 21/0 in 4 overs & 73 runs in 40 balls. High-lights of Van der Merwe career: 1. He played for South Africa at the Under-19 World Cup in 2004. 2. Third leading wicket-taker in PRO20 series in 2007-08 – 13 wickets in 30 overs. 3. South Africa’s leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in the 2008 Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes 4. Leading wicket-taker in the MTN domestic championship in 2008-09 – 30 wickets in 70 overs. 5. South African player of the year in 2008-09. Cricket needs more fighters like Van der Merwe. … [Read more...]
Cricket stars who decided not to play for home CLT20 teams
There is no place for sentiments in this commercial world of T20 cricket. Several star cricketers are lured by money bags of IPL teams and decided not to play for their home teams. Kolkata Knight Riders is the biggest beneficiary followed by Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. New South Wales, Warriors and Trinidad & Tobago are the biggest losers. These away teams need to pay compensation of $ 1.5 lakh to home team for using these star cricketers. 1. Brett Lee & Brad Haddin: In stead of playing for home team, New South Wales (NSW), these star cricketers opted to play for IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders. New South Wales directly qualified for group stage of 2011 CL T20 tournament but they saw stars in KKR which need to play in qualifiers to enter group stage. Doug Bollinger: New South Wales may not need Brett Lee but this bowler can change its fortunes. But, Bollinger opted to play for Chennai Super Kings. 2. Trinidad & Tobago: They surprised everyone by reaching the finals of 2009 Champions League T20 tournament. But, no one is expecting such heroic performance in 2011 as their stars Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo opted to play for Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings respectively. T&T may struggle to reach the group stage of 2011 CLT20 tournament. 3. Jacques Kallis & Davy Jacobs: Warriors lost hope after their stars opted to play for Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians respectively. 4. Aiden Blizzard: He opted to play for Mumbai Indians in stead of South Australia – his home team. Both home and away teams selected these cricketers in their squads but these stars saw sparks in away teams. In spite of their absence, Both NEW South Wales and Warriors are fielding strong squads but Trinidad & Tobago fielded weak side. Qualifying stage of Nokia 2011 Champions League tournament will start tomorrow in Hyderabad while group stage matches start from September 23. … [Read more...]
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