Partnerships will be the key

Craig McMillan

I would be lying if I said I would have not preferred any other team than Lahore Badshahs as our semifinal opponents. The newcomers led by former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq are in great form in this tournament and have won all their seven league games in the second edition of the Indian Cricket League.

But at this stage of a competition, you have to be prepared to beat anyone and everyone if you want to harbour hopes of winning the tournament. In the last edition we were the league toppers but came a cropper in the semifinals. And I have no doubt that if we play to our potential then we can subject the Badshahs to the same fate.

The team has been playing very well and all the players have come up with their best performances when the chips were down or we were facing a must-win situation. We did not begin the campaign well but everyone picked themselves and the one-wicket win over Delhi Giants in the last league encounter is the testimony to the never-say-die attitude of the squad.

I had a brief look at the wicket here and I feel it’s going to play the same way as it has been through-out the tournament. Building partnerships will be the key as the ball is not going to come on to the bat and that would mean any new batsman at the crease will need time to adjust.

However, the boundary on one side of the wicket is very close and as a captain to stem the run flow from that side will be a huge challenge. I will have to work out correct bowling strategies and also opt for the right bowler.