Dubai: Ravi Bopara, the England and Karachi Kings star allrounder was the hero of the first edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He bagged the player of the tournament award through match winning performances. Bopara wants to repeat his performance in the next edition of the PSL scheduled to be held in UAE during February-March next year.
Speaking to Gulf News, Bopara revealed why he considers PSL a special tournament to give his best.
“Ever since I came into this squad I felt very comfortable straight away. I was very determined from the first edition itself to do well for them. It was a new competition and I said to myself this is a great time for bonhomie especially with the players. Moreover, the second biggest country in cricket after India’s Indian Premier League is PSL and I knew it is a great stage to put some performances together. Last year everything went my way.”
When asked how much of a role did PSL play in projecting him as one of the finest allrounders in Twenty20 format, Bopara said: “This tournament did play a huge role. Hopefully I can play a bigger role in Karachi’s team as well. I will do my level best as I always go out to perform not just for Karachi but for my own pride as well.”
From the international cricket recognition point of view, when asked how satisfying was his show in the PSL, Bopara said: “It has been really nice. Recognition is not what I am after because at the end of the day performance matters. I love winning and there is no better feeling than winning a trophy.”
So what according to Bopara makes a good Twenty20 player? “Nowadays you need to be very versatile. Unless you are well built like Chris Gayle and can hit the ball out of the park, as grounds are too small for him. As a bowler you need to be very smart and as a batsman you need to hit to all areas of the ground. Also you need to be successful in playing against spin. If you can play spin well in T20 cricket, it can help you a lot and as a bowler you need to be smart and think ahead of the game. You need to know the batsman’s areas and what kind of delivery he will target. So reading the game well can take you a long way.”
Bopara’s immediate task is to play in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). “Right now my goal is to do well in the BPL which is commencing in a few weeks’ time. My goal there is to win the BPL and hopefully become the players of the tournament there and then my next goal is to play for Karachi Kings in the IPL and lift the trophy and also win the player of the tournament again.”
So what are your plans for England? “I love to play international cricket again for England. If I can perform well in the BPL and PSL, hopefully they will recall me into the Twenty20 squad too,” he said.
