James Franklin gearing up for a spot in the 2011 World Cup
After enjoying a successful season with Gloucestershire, James Franklin is now gearing up for a spot in the squad that would visit the subcontinent in 2011 to participate in the World Cup. Franklin, who was axed from the contract list of NZC during the off season, will have an opportunity to impress the selectors when he will captain New Zealand’s A team in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 for a full tour.
The Irish passport holder, when axed from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754’s contract list, thought of playing in England as a local player. However, the allure of Black Caps was enough to persuade him to continue his international career especially with the prestigious World Cup around the corner.
The 29-year-old Franklin said that every domestic cricketer around the world is eying the 2011 World Cup. He was talking to media reporters before leaving for New Zealand after a successful county season with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gloucestershire-c785. He has topped Gloucestershire’s one-day run tally by logging 511 runs at an average of 73.00 with two centuries to his credit as well. He was the top scorer for Gloucestershire’s T20 list as well after compiling 470 runs at an average of 39.16. The impressive county figures resulted in a nod by New Zealand’s selectors who asked him to captain the A side.
While heading back home, Franklin was hopeful that he will put up some good domestic performances that would help him advocate his case in front of NZC’s selection committee.
One of the major challenges that Franklin would face during his battle for a comeback to international cricket is convincing the selectors that he can continue his prolific county form in the international arena as well. The presence of a lot of multi-skilled players in the New Zealand side makes his campaign even tougher. Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 and are well in-form. The only exception is Scott Styris who is fighting against his stress back fracture that has ruled him out of the Bangladesh tour.
Franklin is well aware of the presence of these all-rounders in the New Zealand side as he said, “the guys that are there at the moment are ahead of me, so I've just got to try and perform well at domestic level and push my case that way and force my way back into the New Zealand side." He further added that the presence of these multi-skilled cricketers would be a plus point for the Black Caps going forward into 2011 World Cup.
Franklin’s form in the England’s domestic setup will help his cause for a spot in the World Cup squad. He logged 821 runs in the County Championship at an average of 32.84. He also picked 45 wickets in the championship at 22.86 including his career-best figures of 7 for 14 that he recorded against Derbyshire a week before. Kiwi coach Mark Greatbatch was hopeful that the A team captaincy during the tour to Zimbabwe will help Franklin unlock something that the players and the selectors have not observed before.
Greatbatch had supported Franklin to make a comeback to the national fold after he was axed. Franklin, 29, has not turned down such a decision later in his career and is still passionate to play for his county team in England. Franklin said that he is lucky to have an Irish passport because of his grandparents. Franklin, who will turn 30 on 7th November, still feels that he is fit for cricket for the next five to six years.
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