Buchanan's Brainwave

By Gulu Ezekiel

Kolkata Knight Riders’ coach John Buchanan has been known to come up with some rather quixotic ideas in the past. But his suggestion that Australia’s squad for next month’s T-20 World Cup in England should have contained three retired veterans who are currently having a whale of a time in the IPL is not as ridiculous as it appears.
Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden all quit the international scene over the last couple of years.
Like most Australians, they have retained their match fitness even in their late 30s and unburdened by the thoughts of national duty, are playing the current season with a rare freedom.
Hayden is well on top of the IPL run scoring chart right now and looks to keep that top spot considering he is approaching the 400-run mark. The next best, Suresh Raina who also represents Chennai Super Kings is way behind with 296 runs. And what is more, Hayden is the only one in the top 10 with a strike rate above 150.
Gilchrist is currently fifth on the list and has proved to be the most innovative captain of the current IPL season. The way he has turned around last year’s bottom placed Deccan Chargers is reminiscent of the manner in which Warne led dark horses Rajasthan Royals to the title in the inaugural season.
Warne has not been as successful with the ball as he was in 2008. But his leadership has once again been inspiring and after a sluggish start, he has ensured the Royals are back in title contention this year.
Last year too the Aussies dominated with Shaun Marsh (missing this year through injury) the top run scorer and Shane Watson (MVP for his all round show) the standout performers.
Quite a few of the top Australian players have given this season a miss either due to injuries or because they wanted to rest ahead of the Ashes. But Andrew Symonds (Chargers) and Brett Lee (Punjab) will be joining the IPL shortly and that should further add to the Aussie flavour in the tournament.
www.sportshero.com (8/5/09)