Australia all-rounder Ben Cutting believes that Yuvraj Singh has still the ability to attract the crowd and the fire to score a lot of runs, saying he is a great booster for the Abu Dhabi T10 League in terms of drawing crowds to the stands being part of the tournament for the upcoming 2019 season.
The duo is set to take part in the third edition of the T10 League, which will get underway from November 15 in the UAE with India’s 2011 World Cup hero turning up for Maratha Arabians while Cutting will be seen in action for Deccan Gladiators in the tournament.
Cutting told IANS in an interview, “It's exciting to have Yuvraj Singh. He has done wonders for the world of T20 and one day cricket. Now he is playing in the foreign circuit which not many other Indian players have done. So, he is certainly going to bring some crowds through the gates.”
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He continued, “We saw what he could do in Canada in that tournament (Global T20 Canada). He has still got it regardless of his age. As long as he is enjoying, people will come and watch him.”
The 32-year-old, who played with Yuvraj for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, wants more India players to take part in the Abu Dhabi T10 league, which is his second season.
The Aussie further added: “That's probably more of a question for Yuvi. I know it is tough for the Indian players to get their NOC signed by the Indian board to play in the other leagues. That all makes sense, that's fair enough. I think like Yuvi, who has come at the back end of their careers, probably more of them are going to do that.”
The all-rounder is admitted that the 10 over format is tough for the bowlers as they always look to defend runs rather wickets, as the approach wins games for the team.
Cutting further explained, “It is very challenging for the bowler. You know you are not there to take wickets. The spectators want to see boundaries hit and sixes hit, not wickets cartwheeling. So, as a bowler, you just look to minimize the damage. The teams that bowl the best will win, that's how it works. But the entertainment comes from the batting. It's very much a defensive attitude in T10. The team that will defend well with the ball will win the game. You need to take wickets but you don't need to bowl out a team to win the game like in T20 cricket.”
He also wants to see Steve Smith and David Warner in the T10 League at the end of their cricketing careers, adding: “We all know what he (Warner) can do. We saw that in the IPL as well. He missed out on the Ashes. Steve Smith scored a lot of runs. They are two class players; they will ebb and flow in their form but they will score runs for you if you keep sticking with them. I hope to see those guys playing T10 towards the back end of their careers. It wouldn't surprise me.”
The all-rounder wants to score more runs for Gladiators led by Shane Watson in the 2019 edition of the tournament. The franchise also has international stars likes Kieron Pollard and Tymal Mills in their ranks.
Cutting signed off by saying, “I just want to score as many runs for Deccan Gladiators. We were Team Sindhis last year, a different team and owner. I am excited to meet the guys and play well for Deccan.”
(With IANS Inputs)
