Chennai had a five-match winning streak from the start of the domestic tournament © Getty Images

Our coach Michael Bevan is already here and working with us to develop our routines and strategies for the international tournament coming up, and the benefits of our preparation are starting to show. Weâ..ve gotten off to a great start this season in the domestic 20-20 tournament, and are currently maintaining a perfect record. We started against the Mumbai Champs, where we recovered from a poor start to get 143, with yours truly getting 30 and R Satish getting 58, winning comfortably in the end. The second game against the Chandigarh Lions was a tighter affair. We have been bowling and fielding superbly throughout, and kept them down to 125, but nearly made a mess of the chase after a superb start. Iâ..m particularly irritated at having gotten myself run out after scoring 16 off a single over. It got tense in the end as we needed 15 off the last two, but we got home with a ball to spare. Itâ..s what the 20-20 format is all about, though, and a win is a win, weâ..re happy to take it. We hope to keep the wining streak going, and Iâ..ll be keeping you updated in my next posts. Wish us luck.

Continue reading "Flying high, diving deep, rocking on"

	Players like Shahriar Nafees and Alok Kapali are welcome additons to the ICL fold © AFP

Things are certainly starting to happen - on the field, off the field and online. Iâ..m overwhelmed by the response to my first post, and would like to thank all of you who read it, and hope youâ..ll keep participating with your thoughts and reactions. I appreciate the encouragement, and for those with the slightly opposite point of view, Iâ..d just like to say that all weâ..re trying to do is make our careers playing cricket, the great game that weâ..ve dedicated our lives to.

My excitement at welcoming our latest team, the Dhaka Warriors, is tinged with the disappointment of hearing about the 10-year ban slapped on these players. More teams and more competition will only continue to improve the league, and provide a better experience to the viewing public. The combination of the experience of players like Habibul Bashar and Mohammad Rafique and the exciting young talents of Aftab Ahmed and Shahriar Nafees will definitely provide a fresh challenge for all the teams.

As a cricketer, I think that the more avenues for people to make careers in cricket, the better it is for the game. It will only encourage more and more people to take up the game seriously. Which is why I welcomed the news that Sri Lanka Cricket had decided to reverse their ban, and allow the Sri Lankan ICL players and umpires to return to their domestic set-up. Going forward, I sincerely hope that more and more boards follow this example, and continue to allow players and officials access to opportunities to fulfill their dreams.

Continue reading "Good news, bad news"

	Saman Jayantha in the outfield: superior training methods and back-up staff has led to many such efforts © ICL

The second season of the ICL is about to get underway, and as far I'm concerned it's not a moment too soon. One of the best things about being with the ICL is that it allows me to have a great career playing competitive cricket while still affording me enough time to pursue other interests and spend time with my family - a luxury most modern professional cricketers don't have. With all the talk of burnout, mental stress and the like doing the rounds in the international circuit these days, I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to rest, recharge and get myself fit. Having said that, I've been itching to pick up a bat for a little while now. I'm really looking forward to the new season that begins with a camp in Bangalore for the India-based players.

Continue reading "Raring to go"