Muralitharan urges Gloucestershire to build early momentum in Flt20 2012 – Cricket News Update
The Sri Lankan spin wizard, Muttiah Muralitharan, has urged his English county for the 2012 Friends Life T20 competition, to build an early momentum if they are to reach the final stages of the tournament.
18 English counties have been divided into three groups of six each. Gloucestershire Gladiators have been drafted in the Midlands/Wales/West Group, alongside Somerset, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Northamptonshire-c824.
For the first time since 2007, the group stage format has been reduced from 16 games to ten, and the top two teams from each group would qualify for the quarterfinals. Hence there is little room for error for all the counties, something that is upsetting
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Muralitharan-c1864.
"It is almost a sudden death tournament this year,” said the record breaking Sri Lankan spinner while speaking to the media reporters ahead of his county’s opening Flt20 match against rivals Somerset, at Bristol on Thursday, June 14, 2012.
"When there were 16 games, you could afford a few slip-ups and still qualify for the quarter-finals. That is no longer true. Lose a couple of games early on and it is virtually impossible to get through,” added Muralitharan.
Murali is the only overseas player the Gladiators have this season. Their second overseas player of the previous edition, Kevin O’Brien of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Somerset-c843 this time around.
About their opening-night opponents, the Sri Lankan said that Somerset is a very good side, but can be beaten if Gladiators play to their full potential.
"I played in the game when we beat Somerset last season. They are a very good side, but that game showed they can be beaten,” said Murali who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the recently concluded Indian Premier League.
"We know we can beat them and we will probably have to repeat last year's performance if we are to make a flying start."
It is pertinent to mention here that the legendary spin bowler recently termed the English T20 tournament as “old-fashioned” and has called for an overhaul, inspired by the lucrative Indian Premier League. Murali also suggested the franchise system for England’s
domestic Twenty20 competition.
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