Katich banks on youngsters in CLT20

BANGALORE: The likes of Brett Lee, Brad Haddin and Doug Bollinger may have given up on their home team and opted to play for their respective IPL franchisees in the upcoming Champions League T20 but winners of the inaugural edition, New South Wales Blues, are confident of regaining the title this time around.
NSW, who finished runners-up in the domestic T20 Big Bash behind South Australia, have flexibility as their merit with an array of cricketers who can chip in with both the bat and ball."One of our strengths is flexibility with our batting and plenty of bowling options which is something you need in T20. We are confident that we have prepared as well as we possibly can but we also realise that there are many good teams in the competition and all that matters will be who is in good form. All our matches are in Chennai so it will be important we adjust to the wicket and the heat as quickly as possible," Blues skipper Simon Katich told TOI.
The veteran southpaw is counting on a bevy of youngsters to make it count in the tournament which kicks off with its qualifying phase in Hyderabad on September 19. "Doug (Bollinger) and Brett (Lee) both played huge roles for us last time so they will be big losses. But it also presents opportunities for a few of our youngsters in (Mitchell) Starc, (Pat) Cummins and (Josh) Hazlewood to show the cricket world what they are capable of. We feel we have a well-balanced squad with experience in Indian conditions," noted Katich.
"Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood are all promising quicks. Our two young spinners/all-rounders - (Steve) O'Keefe and (Steven) Smith - are both potential match-winners in all three facets of the game. We have young batsmen like (David) Warner and (Phil) Hughes who have huge futures in the game," elaborated the captain.
The state sides normally go into CLT20 with an advantage over IPL sides, for they play together in all formats throughout a season. But for Katich, that itself doesn't guarantee success in the tournament.
"It is an advantage as we have a close unit that has done all the hard work preparing together barring a couple with Australian duties. The guys know their roles as we have played together regularly over a number of years now. However, this doesn't guarantee us anything if we aren't in form and playing really well when the tournament starts," stated Katich.
A batsman known for his defensive approach, Katich finds "fun" in the baseball-like madness of T20 and is open about his batting slot as well. "I have enjoyed trying to adapt to T20 and play with freedom. The only thing that has changed (for T20) is my mindset - you have to be prepared to take on the bowlers and be more carefree. Our batting line-up is flexible so that we can get an advantage over our opponents depending on the conditions and opposition players," said Katich.
Katich was controversially denied a Cricket Australia contract few weeks back. When asked whether a CLT20 triumph would be a platform to prove his detractors wrong, Katich was philosophical. "My focus is on playing well for NSW, winning games of cricket and whatever will be, will be," signed off Katich.