Twenty20 power-packed, electrifying: Whitney

Michael Whitney was a left-arm fast bowler of repute, playing alongside some of the famous Aussie bowlers, like Craig McDermott, Bruce Reid and Merv Hughes. But since his retirement from international cricket in 1993, Whitney has shown his penchant for adventure sports, besides cricket. He also hosts the famous television show, ‘Who Dares Wins’, so it was quite natural for his former teammate Dean Jones to invite him to the Indian Cricket League ‘Commentators box’.

You have been doing cricket commentary for a while now, mostly in the 50 overs cricket. How does it feel to commentate in the ICL 20-20 Indian Championship?

Michael Whitney: Yeah, am enjoying every bit of it. Twenty20 is really exciting and interesting. We have seen so much action in the ICL games that have been played so far. Although it is a shorter version, it has generated more interest. This is because Twenty20 games are action-packed and with fours and sixes galore during the match, commentating becomes more exciting. And it becomes more electrifying when spectators get involved with you.

Do you think ICL will be a success?

Michael Whitney: Definitely, it will be a success. Although, it is for the first time the ICL championship is being conducted, but the way it has been put forth is very healthy for the promotion of cricket, especially for the youngsters, who can rub shoulders with internationally-acclaimed cricketers. It was Dean Jones who told me about ICL and it was he who asked me to be part of the commentary team. Naturally, I was inclined to this new concept.

Talking about the upcoming India-Australian series, how do you think India will perform on the bouncier tracks of Australia?

Michael Whitney: India has some great players in Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan. The Australian bowling department would miss the services of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Stuart McGill. So, young players like Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Hogg need to bowl with a certain plan to the Indians who have a strong batting line-up. I feel it will Brett Lee who will make a difference this time.

How would you rate India as a team before going to Australia?

Michael Whitney: India is a very balanced side. They showed their mettle by winning the One-Day series and the first Test at Kotla against Pakistan. But the conditions and pitches would be entirely different in Australia. Unlike the Eden Garden track, which happens to be a batsman's paradise, the pitches in Australia will be bouncy. The Indians will have problem dealing with the bouncy wickets especially in Perth. And the fact that India will just play one three-day match before the Test will not work in their favour. I think they should have had more practice games before the real Test starts.


Source : http://www.expressindia.com/