Abu Dhabi: Former South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener picked his top five T20 players and surprisingly enough there was no place for India great Virat Kohli or Suryakumar Yadav, who has been in the form of his life. Pakistan captain Babar Azam also missed the cut as Klusener went with players who can bowl and bat in the shorter format of the game.
While speaking exclusively with CricketCountry, Klusener explained his top T20 picks by saying, “For starters, I’m a Phil Salt fan. He can bat and hit big. I’m a big Mooen Ali fan as well. He can bat upfront and bowl you four overs. Ben Stokes or Hardik Pandya for fast bowling all-rounders. I’ll define fast bowlers as Indian fast bowlers who can swing the ball. So, Arshdeep Singh, perhaps his left arm, can win the day. Then a high-quality leg spinner, such as Rashid Khan or Shadab Khan to that matter.”
- Phil Salt
- Moeen Ali
- Ben Stokes/Hardik Pandya
- Arshdeep Singh
- Rashid Khan/Shadab Khan
Klusener is a part of the Morrisville Samp Army team coaching staff that features in the Abu Dhabi T20 league. Talking about his association with the Abu Dhabi T10 league, the 51-year-old said, “I am really excited. I think it’s a wonderful league. I’ve been here quite a few times before. I am involved in a new team, so I will look forward to that. A good team on paper, but we all know how the game is played on the field, so I’ll try to find a balance as soon as possible, but it’s extremely exciting and potentially the future of cricket for me.”
While speaking about the future of T10 league, the former South Africa all-rounder said it is a great opportunity to young players to get noticed and make a name for themselves.
“All these competitions are sold to media houses. There is no league that goes unsold, which shows the appetite they have. But I agree that it is buzzy and will continue to be buzzy, but it provides opportunities to other cricketers who did not have those opportunities in other leagues. It helps them start making their name and getting a feel for how free-style cricket works, which is a good thing,” he concluded.
