'Zaheer And I Had Some Good Battles': Guptill Relishes Reunion With India Pace Legend At Belgium's EUT20

'Zaheer and I had some good battles': Guptill relishes reunion with India pace legend at Belgium's E (Image Source: IANS)

Former New Zealand: Former New Zealand opener Martin Guptill says he is looking forward to renewing acquaintance with India pace legend Zaheer Khan, who’s the co-owner of Antwerp Anchors side in the inaugural EUT20 Belgium league, when the competition takes place from June 6-14.

Guptill, one of New Zealand’s mainstay batters in white-ball cricket, was a major pre-signing for the side ahead of the tournament alongside Andre Russell and David Wiese. Former India wicketkeeper-batter Kiran More will also serve as the side's mentor.

"Oh look, anything can help, right? I mean we've got some high-profile players in our side and their influence on the game is going to help for having some people who have had experience of not just only playing in the IPL, but also of being around teams - being as mentors and coaches.

“That can only help because of their experience and as friends trying to set up the league and so I'm looking forward to it. Zaheer Khan and I had some good battles on the field during our careers and I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with him and hopefully having a successful time over in Belgium," said Guptill in an exclusive conversation with IANS on Monday.

For Guptill, who has played limited competitive cricket via various T20 leagues after his international career ended, the EUT20 league represents a welcome return to the middle and he’s keen to go to the league with serious intent.

"Well, I guess for us players that don't get to play that much anymore, it's a little bit sporadic with what we get to play and the opportunity to get back on the field and sort of put your pads and helmet on, and then take the batting gloves out. It's always about jumping into that opportunity - so I'm pretty stoked and I'm just excited to get out there.

“I've played with a few guys in the Antwerp team before, so I'm looking forward to reconnecting with them and hopefully we're going to put on a really good show and play some really good cricket and hopefully lift the trophy at the end," he said.

Guptill, who will be joined in Belgium by compatriots Colin Munro and Max Chu, insisted his competitive fire burns as bright as ever. "Well, I guess as a cricketer your competitive nature never goes away and you want to go over there and do well from the get-go.

“So I'm starting some training this week and I'm gonna do the best I can to make sure that I'm ready so I can hit the ground running when I get there and hopefully put some strong performances on the board because we all know that in cricket, it can change pretty quickly.

“So look, I think having known and played against everybody, it's gonna be a same boat for all. I want to come across and do well straight away and leave a mark and help the young guys along the way and help them have their own sort of match winning performances as well," he said.

Guptill also views the league as a rare and valuable platform for younger players and those from associate cricketing nations to soak in priceless learnings about being better cricketers. "Well, hopefully it's I'm guiding them through my performances and that would be a great start. It's also good for the local Belgian players and any little golden nuggets that I can give them and if it helps their cricket, then I've done my job pretty successfully.

“But no, look, as someone who's played a lot of cricket around the world any chance that young players get to chat to us and either bat with us or bowl alongside the likes of Andre Russell and David Wiese - people like Ruben Trumpelmann who has been playing around the world a lot in the last few years and to rub shoulders with the likes of us is going to be so good," he said.

He singled out Nepal's Lokesh Bam, also his teammate while playing Nepal Premier League, as among those who stood to gain most from the experience of playing in Belgium. "Oh, it's huge. I mean any chance to play cricket for these guys who don't get a lot of cricket in their own countries or they don't get too much opportunity to play international cricket and then looking to play these leagues and with people who have been around the traps a long time - it's only going to benefit them and the cricket in their countries.

"I've been lucky enough to play cricket in Nepal and we have Lokesh Bam, who I played with in Nepal Premier League and outside as well. So I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with him. He is a very, very good player and has had some success for Nepal.

“So him getting some cricket and in their offseason is only going to help him become a better player and help him go back to the Nepal team and he can share with the team his experiences here and hopefully help them have a lot more success at the international level," he said.

Guptill was equally emphatic on the long-term structural value such leagues can generate if semi-retired Indian cricketers become a part of it. "Oh, not sure what's going to happen in that space now, I'm sorry, but any chance for some players to play outside the country and it's only gonna strengthen cricket in that region.

“As I alluded to before, anyone with a bit of profile who's played around the world that comes to play in these sorts of leagues – it can only benefit that country in that league moving forward.

“Hopefully, looking into the future and if it can get off the ground and have a second, third, fourth or fifth season - who knows what can happen from there - some more high-profile players coming along to help out and really boost cricket in Belgium," he said.

Guptill further outlined how the EUT20 could be a pathway for Belgian cricketers to bridge the gap between club cricket and international cricket honours. "I guess it sort of creates a bit of a pathway for players to bridge that gap between club cricket and then go and play for Belgium.

“They get to play some franchise cricket and rub shoulders with some of the best who have played the game in the world. So it's only gonna benefit them massively. A little tip, some tricks that guys have picked up along their ways in their career can only help them in their own cricketing journey.

"You need to help them be better for when they go on to wear the Belgian shirt and go out and play some cricket for them. Hopefully for them they can use those experiences and learnings while playing here with the overseas counterparts and can move forward and qualify for some World Cups in the future," he elaborated.

On the league's prospects as a first-time venture, Guptill was measured but optimistic. "Well, I guess only time will tell it. It's the first one, so we don't know how it's gonna go at this stage, but look everything I hear everything is pretty well up and running and once we get there, hopefully everything runs smoothly.

“There's always a couple of teething issues in the very first season of the competition and it's just the nature of the beast really with all these leagues starting up. So hopefully it can run as smoothly as possible and then they can build from there - we can play in different cities around Belgium and create a few more a couple more teams.

"Maybe you get people from around the world and give them another opportunity to play. But at this stage, look, you get the first one out of the way first. From here, it's a little bit of let's see what happens and hopefully it's going to be a success as I know I'm going to have a lot of fun there," he said.

“There's always a couple of teething issues in the very first season of the competition and it's just the nature of the beast really with all these leagues starting up. So hopefully it can run as smoothly as possible and then they can build from there - we can play in different cities around Belgium and create a few more a couple more teams.

“So hopefully we can have a great time over there - got one guy (Max Chu) in my team and Colin Munro is also heading across. Colin is a good mate of mine and we'll have some fun off the field as well," he signed off.

Article Source: IANS