IPL II breaks no country for old men myth
Posted on Apr 27, 2009 at 13:55 | Updated Apr 27, 2009 at 18:18
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New Delhi: It appears the Twenty20 format is for cricketers in their mid-30s, going by early performances in the Indian Premier League in South Africa.
Australians Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist are both 37, but have dominated the opposition with their amazing power-hitting.
Hayden is the tournament's leading scorer with 166 runs in three matches.Indians Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, and Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan are others who have made a strong statement for veterans with their match-winning displays.
Hayden smashed a 35-ball 65 to set up Chennai Super Kings' victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers, living up to his reputation as a destroyer of bowlers' line and length.
"Hayden played a great innings," said Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni."He plays so well down the ground and it became really tough for the bowlers to contain him. He was playing so well that I thought the only way to get his wicket was to run him out."
Gilchrist, a scientific hitter like Hayden, was not far behind his compatriot when he hammered a 45-ball 71 in Deccan Chargers' victory over Bangalore.
Dravid, 36, is considered more of a Test than Twenty20 batsman because of his sound technique and conventional approach, but has been performing as if to prove a point in the shortest version of the game.
He was named man of the match for his 48-ball 66 in Bangalore's win over defending champions Rajasthan Royals.
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