Hats off to Somerset
It says much for the power in Somerset’s Friends Provident t20 ranks that Craig Kieswetter may find himself relegated to the role of supporting act.
Cameron White and Kieron Pollard, two of the most destructive hitters in the game, are heading to Somerset from Australia and West Indies respectively as the Sabres aim to go one better than last year’s runners-up finish.
Kieswetter, a World Twenty20 winner with England only last month, welcomes the addition of such talent to a small Taunton ground that appears ill-equipped to cope with their meaty blades.
White and Pollard add further depth to a batting order already containing the likes of Marcus Trescothick and Peter Trego, neither of whom are strangers to clearing the fence.
Craig Kieswetter gets his Friends Provident t20 campaign - if not Somerset's - moving with 47 off 41 deliveries at Hove last night
While Kieswetter and company are sure to wreak substantial damage on opposition attacks, he is is quick to point out that sustained excellence rather than the occasional onslaught is the key to success in a competition that has been expanded to 16 group games this summer.
“We’re really excited by what we’ve got in the squad - two international big hitters and also Murali Kartik, our left-arm wily spinner,” he told ECBtv.
“We’ve got guys in Tres and Peter Trego who like to swing the bat a bit, and we’ve also got James Hildreth and Jos Buttler.
“We’ve got a really good blend of old and young, experienced and inexperienced, flamboyant and not so flamboyant.
“But the team that’s the most consistent and not necessarily the most flamboyant is going to win the competition.
“A lot of people seem to think Twenty20 is all hit and miss - a slog and a swing - but there are a lot of tactics that go into a game. Consistency, without a doubt, is the key.”
Kieswetter, man of the match in the World Twenty20 final in Barbados with 63 off 49 balls, provided a more local audience with a reminder of his talents by hitting 47 off 41 in Somerset’s opening game against Sussex at Hove.
He may have ended on the losing side last night, but he claims Somerset will be “there or thereabouts” this season and is predicting plenty of pyrotechnics on their own patch. They play their first game at Taunton next Thursday.
“At Taunton, a small ground, with big hitters it doesn’t really make sense,” he said, grinning at the prospect.
“We’ve got a hard hat area this year - with all these builders’ hats coming around for the crowd. Hopefully we can get some full crowds in there and put those hats to good use.”
Kieswetter expresses himself in England colours during the World Twenty20 final. "The atmosphere is really addictive," he said
Kieswetter also sees it as his duty to entertain the masses - 7,000 turned up for yesterday’s rematch between last season’s finalists - in much the same way he thrilled the spectators in the Caribbean during England’s march to glory.
He added: “The (England) management were really big on this, going out expressing ourselves and trying to have a bit of fun. It worked really well.
“Tres has been pretty big on that as well. You’ve only got 20 overs to bat so you might as well be positive.
“It’s great fun and just to be part of the atmosphere, it’s really addictive. It’s so quick and fast, it’s an environment you want to be part of as a player.
“You can see how much fun the crowd’s having - it would be rude not to have fun as a player.”
