‘I wasn’t enjoying playing for NZ’

Hamish Marshall, one of ICL’s hottest players, opens up to Sanjib Guha in a free-wheeling chat in Hyderabad

Excellent start in last two matches... Your innings seem to have charged up the side. What’s next?
We will just have to bowl, bat and field the way we have done against the Lahore Badshahs and Delhi Giants. If we bat first we will have to put up enough runs on the board so that the bowlers get a good platform. Our fielding has been very good in the last couple of games and we hope to keep that up in the upcoming matches too. Frankly speaking our plans worked perfectly in the first two matches and there is no reason that it won’t in the near future.

You had McMillan’s direct throw and then an outstanding catch by Abhishek Jhunjhunwala in the boundary. Do you think those things set the tone?
We had done everything right till now. Yes those things definitely set the pace for us, but we’ll have to repeat those things over and over again. Those brilliant works in the field changed the momentum more in our favour. But the bottomline is that we all wanted to win and that’s what helped us carrying in the momentum.

Two matches, two comprehensive wins… What’s the goal?
We will try to carry on like this. Coming up the order, my job is to accumulate as many runs as possible in the quickest possible time and that is what I am up to.

Why did you turn down NZC’s proposal to play County and Twenty20 cricket here?
I had thought of it… The situation forced me take such a decision. I had to think of my financial security and then only I took the decision. I consulted my family, teammates and everywhere I got the backing I needed. Most importantly, I wasn’t enjoying playing for the national side.

This is owner Mithun Chakraborty’s first venture in cricket. How do you see his role in the dugout?
Oh, he is a fantastic man to be around. He may not be attached to game directly, but his passion for cricket is what matters. We all are enjoying his presence in the dugout.

What is your impression of this League?
It’s a very good League. The standard of cricket is quite high. All the teams have quality players and no game is going to be easy for any team in this Season II. You have to be at your very best in order to win the title. And the Indian youngsters playing in this League are fantastic.

What will be your message to fans?
My message to our supporters is keep watching, keep supporting, we will give our best and we will win it.

Do you know that in the later stages you will have supporters flown in from Bengal?
Yes. That’s a great thing in India. Cricket in India is like English Premier League in England. You open a newspaper here and you see only cricket where in England it’s all about EPL. That’s why India is a great place to tour for cricketers across the world.