Can anyone really doubt the merits of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) any more?
Player agents and their bank managers never did. But the lure of the cash-rich, Twenty20 league has often been treated with scepticism by those in administrative and coaching positions – at least by those on the outside looking in.
If anyone still needs convincing, take a look at Ben Stokes.
The England all-rounder went for his first IPL adventure this year. He took with him the mixed blessing of being the league’s most monied player.
Has he come away from it a better player? There is only a small sample size to go on so far, but it looks like it.
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“The whole thing with the IPL is the exposure you get to big moments in games playing in front of a huge crowd all the time,” Stokes said after his match-winning century against Australia in the pool stage of the Champions Trophy.
“You get exposed to those situations more. At Edgbaston we were 35-3, but you can just mentally look back to a time in the past and reflect on that and also take confidence in knowing that you have been in that situation before and done well.”
He did not have to reflect too far back. Stokes scored his first T20 century a few weeks ago, after arriving at 10-3 against Gujarat Lions in the IPL.
He won that game for his side, Rising Pune Supergiant, much in the same way as he did subsequently for England against the Australians.
Judged on that theory, three of the remaining four teams might as well pack up and go home now. India, by their very nature, have the most IPL experience in their squad.
And they do present a formidable case to believe they will defend their Champions Trophy title, too.
Jasprit Bumrah, who put the skids under South Africa in the seminal pool match, was the defining figure in Mumbai Indians’ IPL success last month. He could be about to do the same thing in England.
Pakistan, of course, have to make do with what they have got. Their players are barred entry to the IPL, so they get their fix of big moment T20 cricket via their own, perfectly serviceable tournament.
Tellingly, two of their stars at the Champions Trophy also excelled in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in the UAE this year.
Pakistan are muddling through, relying on inspiration rather than a discernible grand plan.
They have reached the knockout stage largely because Hasan Ali has created, then delivered, just the moments Stokes talks about.
Fakhar Zaman, too, has given Pakistan supporters reason to be cheerful at the top of the batting order, just as he did with Lahore Qalandars in his PSL debut.
The two youngsters’ exposure to the big moments might not have been quite as gilded as those who played in the IPL. But it might yet be just enough.
KEY BATTLES
Liam Plunkett v Fakhar Zaman
Free-spirited opener Zaman has been a breath of fresh air since he first caught the attention with Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League in Dubai and Sharjah this year. His debut international tournament has gladdened the heart of the put-upon fans of Pakistan, as he made quick-fire starts against South Africa and Sri Lanka. The way he was softened up by the short ball against Proteas quick Morne Morkel will have struck a cord with England, though, particularly that of their enforcer Liam Plunkett.
Mark Wood v Sarfraz Ahmed
Hashim Amla, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and David Warner. No, not, in fact, the rankings for the best batsmen in the world. In fact, that was the sequence of batsmen Wood dismissed, up until adding the wickets of Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa last time out against Australia. England’s quickest bowler has a happy habit of getting the best players out. So, in Pakistan’s case, Sarfraz Ahmed should beware. The captain’s is the key wicket.
Ben Stokes v Hasan Ali
Ben Stokes, the best cricketer in the world right now. Fair? It is a difficult one to answer definitively, but he has been as good as unstoppable for some time now. The all-rounder guided Rising Pune Supergiant to the final of his debut Indian Premier League through force of personality, and he continued that rousing form after switching to national duty. Pakistan’s best chance of blunting the Stokes threat seems certain to be via the revelatory Hasan Ali, who took six wickets in the past two matches.
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