What we learnt from T10

Asif Mahmood drops an opinion piece on the 2021 T10 in Abu Dhabi

Mar 06, 2021

With the high number of West Indians appearing in the recent Abu Dhabi T10, the competition provided an opportunity not only for several players to beef up their bank balance but also find some white ball form ahead of a packed 2021 calendar.

The tournament itself was a success. For purists it may well have been perceived as a secondary franchise tournament but it was well presented as a product and the quick turnaround of games made it lot of fun. The players also took it serious enough which helped with buying into the competitiveness.

With regards to the West Indian players I have attempted to rate their performance according to their own standards and their primary role in the team. For some this has led to recognition in the Maroon for others it raises some question marks about their ongoing viability.

Pune Devils

Chadwick Walton – A very poor tournament with just one decent return in six innings which also consisted of four single digit scores. 1/5

Devon Thomas – A poor tournament with just a single score of 21(9) but nothing else worth of note. He ended with a Golden Duck. 1/5

Kennar Lewis – Started with a great innings of 57(28). But the powerful Jamaican had poor games after that with an improvement in his last game 21(9). Decent SR but not enough runs to go with it. 2/5

Deccan Gladiators

Sunil Narine – A shambolic display with the bat. The tournament suggested that bowlers have figured him out and 3 golden ducks (with scores of 1 and 3 in other innings) represented a horrendous return for a franchise player. He was much better with the ball putting in two good performances but on the whole well below expectations. 0.5/5

Kieron Pollard – The West Indies white ball captain only had one good performance (47) with the bat and was well below his albeit extremely high standards. 1/5

Ravi Rampaul - Looking much trimmer and with the end of his Kolpak deal Ravi returned two decent showings with the ball and was reasonably economical 3/5

Bangla Tigers

Andre Fletcher – A good tournament for the self-proclaimed ‘Spiceman’. 150 + runs at a SR of 176 and an average of 26. Spiceman was able to rack up four scores over 30 demonstrating a level of consistency. Given his maroon selection to tour New Zealand and at home vs Sri Lanka he has built a strong case for a call up to the T20 WC as a back-up keeper and opener. 3.5/5

Johnson Charles – He made two excellent 50s in the tournament with 73(35) and 59(23). He also boasted a SR of 201. Despite three other low scores however his good opening partnership with Andre Fletcher was clearly evident. If Johnson can keep up this level of performance in other franchise leagues he may well get another call from CWI selectors. 3/5

Team Abu Dhabi

Chris Gayle – A very disappointing tournament for an icon player. He had one blistering 12 ball 50 but six single digit scores otherwise. He played second fiddle to Paul Stirling throughout the tournament. I do not understand the fans who demand that he should get a call up to the international team based on a rare glimpse of his past. Give him three T20 WC group games and if you’re lucky he may give you a score in one. 1/5

Obed Mccoy – One of the players of the tournament. His performances were very consistent. He took important wickets and was very economical in this short format. In addition to that he was very good in the field and saved boundaries. All the ingredients are there for him to develop into a fine white ball player. 5/5

Leonardo Julien – Only played one game, showed glimpses of his talent with a quick-fire 19.

Dehli Bulls

DJ Bravo – Mr Champion also has some West Indian fans campaigning to take him to the next WC but I think there are players that can offer more. His batting was poor with two ducks however his bowling was much better where he was economical at times. The key question is whether his role as a bowler guarantees him a start in T20 maroon. 2/5

Fidel Edwards – He still has some decent pace given his advanced age and he bowled really well in this tournament helping his side to the final. He has been rewarded for his performances in CPL and the T10 with a recall to the maroon. We could yet see him at the T20 World Cup. 3.5/5

Sherfane Rutherford – Touted as a future international star, Sherfane had an average tournament with just two scores in the 20s alebit at a good rate but never offered much in the other games. 2/5

Evin Lewis – An excellent player in the short format with a SR of 242 in this tournament. He scored 200+ runs with a high score of 55. Three other scores of 30-40+ showed a decent return taking his team to the final. 3.5/5

Nyeem Young – he had a couple of games bowled ok but not enough on show to really justify a rating.

Northern Warriors

Nicolas Pooran – The icon player was voted player of the tournament. He made 240+ runs with a high score of 89 at a mind blowing SR of 243. Nothing more needs to be said about him that we don’t already know. 4/5

Rovman Powell – After a disastrous tour of New Zealand he return to form in the recent ODI series vs Bangladesh. His primary role is as a finisher and he did not disappoint in Abu Dhabi. He batted really well often helping his team finish on a high and was also effective chasing down totals. Given his role one could argue he was more important than Pooran. 4.5/5

Brandon King – Played a floating role in the side doing ‘ok’ in a couple of innings only. Usually used as an opener although that does not appear to be his best role. Brandon appears to still be struggling to break himself out of a funk with his batting. 1.5/5

Rayad Emrit – The wily Trinidadian had more good games than bad. While he was expensive at times he regularly picked up wickets. He had a good tournament by his own standards. 3/5

Fabian Allen – The all-rounder had an excellent tournament with the ball. His batting role is as a finisher and he had two innings where he did this well alongside that he was the highest wicket taker in the tournament. Across the piece he was superbly economical. He should be a starter in the T20 World Cup as second spinner with Narine. 5/5

Lendl Simmons – Lendl is a player that can be very poor or excellent, which is a reflection of West Indies cricket. We know he has history of match winning innings and he played a few in this tournament. The only negative was his strike rate. With four scores above 30 including a 50 he was regularly in the runs. However his strike rate was only 150, one of the lowest of the top run scorers. 4/5

Overall Winners

1. Fabian Allen

2. Obed Mccoy

3. Rovman Powell

4. Nicolas Pooran

5. Lendl Simmons

Overall Losers

1. Chris Gayle

2. Sunil Narine

3. Chadwick Walton

4. Kieron Pollard

5. DJ Bravo

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