Lumb fires for Rajasthan ahead of World Twenty20
Want to know just why the ECB have put their faith in uncapped Hampshire batsman Michael Lumb to take apart opposition bowling line-ups at the World Twenty20 in a few weeks time?
Look no further than the left-hander’s explosive innings for the Rajasthan Royals against the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL yesterday.
Lumb’s 83 from 43 deliveries almost singlehandedly won the match for Rajasthan, with the opener guiding his side to 109 before another of England’s World Twenty20 squad, Ravi Bopara, made the breakthrough for Punjab, with the batsman eventually swatting his England teammate into the waiting hands of Piyush Chawla.
By then though the damage was done, with Lumb having found the boundary a total of 16 times and clearing the rope twice during his match-winning innings.
Thanks largely to Lumb, Rajasthan recorded a win that places them firmly in the top four and well in contention for a semi-final spot, while the hapless Punjab continue to languish at the bottom of the table.
The 30-year-old has taken his time in catching the eye of the England selectors, and if we’re to be honest about it, his opportunities at Rajasthan this IPL season might have been limited had the fickle hand of fate not intervened. But when South Africa skipper Graeme Smith injured his finger while attempting to take a catch for the Royals early in the season, opportunity came knocking for Lumb.
“It was obviously very sad for Graeme when he went home, but it gave me an opportunity,” Lumb told the media after yesterday’s match. “As I said at the start of the tournament, this is an opportunity for me to be involved in this competition and play against the best in the world.”
It’s not unfair based on Punjab’s performance this season, they’ve won just two matches out of the 10 they’ve played so far, to question whether that 83 was made against a world class-opposition (certainly Punjab’s fielding left a lot to be desired) but it was nonetheless the sort of performance that will have put smiles on the faces of the England selectors.
“I am actually learning [in the] IPL and up ‘til this game I have had a few starts, so it’s been nice to kick on and get a decent score to help the team to a decent total and win the game,” the Johannesburg-born player said of the innings that bettered his previous best knock of the season by 38 runs.
Still, Lumb admitted that “a hundred would have been nice” although his main focus had been to try and get Rajasthan’s run-rate up.
While an IPL century has so far eluded the batsman, he has topped the ton in England’s domestic Twenty20 competition, smashing his way to 124 not out from 69 balls for Hampshire against Essex last year. Lumb plundered a total of 442 runs in 11 matches for his county club in Twenty20 in 2009.
“He [Lumb] showed in last year’s domestic Twenty20 tournament what a destructive batsman he can be and anyone who witnessed his incredible 124 not out in the Twenty20 match against Essex at The Rose Bowl last year will testify to that,” Hampshire Cricket Chairman, Rod Bransgrove, said of Lumb when his name was included in England’s 15-man squad for the World Twenty20.
It’s that same aggression that the ECB is hoping Lumb will bring to their World Twenty20 squad and if yesterday’s innings is anything to judge by the powerful opener won’t disappoint.
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