“ We ’ re playing some really good cricket and now it ’ s just getting some of those results .”
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MARCUS NORTH
The Glamorgan one-day captain talks to Gareth Ludkin about expectations ahead of this month ’ s Friends Life Twenty20 competition .
Since its inauguration 10 years ago , T20 cricket has revolutionised the game of cricket . Do you think the format has had a positive impact on the sport ? I think it ’ s been amazing , I really do . I was probably a little bit sceptical at the start , I thought it was a bit of a Mickey Mouse competition , but I think we ’ ve seen the impact it ’ s had around the world ; the IPL and India , the T20 competition in England and also the one in Australia we play in . I think it ’ s brought a new audience to the game , a lot more women , a lot more kids to the game , so we should really celebrate the 10 years it ’ s been going .
How do you assess Glamorgan ’ s chances ahead of this year ’ s T20 campaign ? You ’ ve never reached the finals before , but do you expect to do so this year ? That ’ s certainly something that would be the ideal outcome ; every team goes into it wanting to be in that finals day . There ’ s no doubt that we ’ re going to be pretty confident with the balance of squad we ’ ve got , and if we perform to our potential on the field , that finals day is certainly a reachable outcome .
Who do you consider to be the key player in your armoury for the T20 campaign ? I think Jim Allenby has been a key player for us in all formats . I think he ’ s going to play a big part alongside the likes of Nathan McCullum ; he ’ s had an impact in every side he ’ s played in around the world . I think that we ’ ll see a big tournament from all the players , but Nathan and Jim can be the key guys .
What do you consider to be crucial to success in the T20 format ? Getting on a bit of a role . It ’ s sometimes an overused word , but momentum in T20 cricket is huge , and
BUZZ 18 there are successful teams that I have been a part of that have got on a role and won a few games early ; it just builds confidence that way . There ’ s that , and a combination of playing to a successful game plan and I ’ m confident that Glamorgan has a good game
“ We ’ re playing some really good cricket and now it ’ s just getting some of those results .”
plan heading into this competition .
Your personal form has been good so far this year , do you tend to set targets throughout the season or just take each game as it comes ? I think we all have targets , but the most important thing is contributing . You want to be contributing to winning games . All of us , including myself , want to be winning games , certainly through this T20 competition .
How have you enjoyed playing cricket in the UK and Glamorgan this year ? It ’ s not been the best of weather so far . I think the summer has been a lot better than last year ; it didn ’ t stop raining last year . I ’ ve been coming back and forth to the UK for over 10 years now so I ’ ve got used to all kinds of weather . I think this summer has been ok and hopefully it will really kick on . When the sun does come out in this country it puts a smile on peoples ’ faces and when you ’ ve got that combined with a game like T20 cricket , it ’ s a lot more fun to play in and you ’ ll get a lot more people coming down to have a cold beer and enjoy themselves .
How have you enjoyed playing with Glamorgan this year and how do you assess their progress and future prospects as a club ? I ’ ve really enjoyed it . It was a challenge coming toward the end of my career , so to be involved in a club that ’ s very ambitious and very much in a rebuilding stage over the last few years ; to be part of that and to move this group forward has been a good challenge . I ’ ve felt that this year we ’ ve played a hell of a lot better cricket than we have in the past , certainly the last year or so . The only thing missing is getting a few of those end results . We ’ ve had some really good draws and a couple of close loses . I don ’ t think the table is really reflecting the way we ’ re playing . We ’ re playing some really good cricket and now it ’ s just getting some of those results . If we do that it will reflect how the group and the club has progressed over the last three years .
Watch Marcus North and Glamorgan in this year ’ s T20 competition at the SWALEC stadium from Wed 3-Tues 30 July . Tickets : £ 5- £ 12 . Info : 029 2040 9380 / www . glamorgancricket . com