Thursday 18 February 2016 00:37, UK
Luke Wright tells guest writer Sajid Sadiq what it's like to travel the world playing T20, his England ambitions and how he thinks Eoin Morgan's men will fare in India...
Sajid: How disappointed are you about missing selection for the World T20 squad for England?
Luke: I think disappointment is the right word here as one always wants to play in major tournaments like the World T20 for your country. Having said that, I have to admit that the team is playing some amazing cricket at the moment and have some wonderful young players in the mix.
All in all, it is a tough squad to get into but I will say in my defence that in the last few years, I have played very well in different conditions and sometimes you do as much as you can which is what I have done but if you don't get picked, then there is no point feeling bitter about it. You just keep going and do what I am doing which is to enjoy my cricket.
Sajid: Do you feel that you are now reaching a point where it will become difficult to be picked for England squads in the future?
Luke: Well the next Twenty20 World Cup will be in 2020 and given that I am thirty now, I may well be too old for that edition of the tournament. But then, who knows? You never say never and you keep on playing and doing the best you can. I just feel that I am lucky that I travel round the world playing cricket and if I can keep on scoring runs and keeping all those sides happy, then who knows what happens in the future?
Sajid: How do you rate England's chances in the upcoming World T20?
Luke: England will be up against some very tough opposition in this tournament. You always tend to favour the sub-continental sides in tournaments held in that part of the world as they understand the conditions well, and also play spin bowling very well. Having said that, England have a pretty good squad with some good results to show in the recent past. They have a lot of hitting and bowling power and it will come down to whether they can perform well in that tournament or not. So, it will be tough but then when you look at some of the players in the England line-up, you will see that they have some excellent match-winners.
Sajid: Moving on to the Pakistan Super League, are you impressed by the overall standard of this tournament?
Luke: The standard of the whole tournament has been excellent. From what I understand, there are a lot of very good players in Pakistan who have been left out of the teams as the competition for places is pretty tough. So the best local players have been picked and that has been complemented with the standard of play as presented by the overseas players. I suppose the only missing bit which we always knew would be an issue is the presence of crowds at the games.
However, what we have been seeing in Sharjah in terms of crowds has been very heartening and we also know that we have a lot people watching these games in Pakistan where there is a huge following. The tournament has been organized very well and as players we are all focused on doing our job which is to play to the best of our abilities.
Sajid: You appear to be very popular among Pakistan fans; how do you explain this?
Luke: I am not sure myself! I suppose in this form of cricket, providing entertainment in the form of fours and sixes whilst batting in the top order will always win you friends. On top of that, people probably enjoy watching me bat with Ahmed Shehzad, so that could be another reason. I am enjoying my cricket and have done well so far and if I can continue like that, then I will pick more fans along the way.
Sajid: Any advice for Ahmed Shehzad at a time when he must be disappointed at not being picked for Pakistan's WT20 squad?
Luke: Yes, both Kevin Pietersen and I spoke to Ahmed on this subject. Fact is that we have all been left out of our country's squad at some point in our careers. There aren't too many people who go through their career without being left out of the team and it is important to not dwell upon this but to work at getting back into the team. In my experience, even the best England players like Ian Bell have been left out but came back to make important contributions for the squad.
Ahmed Shehzad is only 24 and he is a very good player and I do believe that he will be a very important player for Pakistan cricket in the future. What he needs to do now is to go away and makes lots of runs and he will be back in the squad soon.
Sajid: Based on what you have seen so far in the PSL, how do you rate Pakistan's chances in the upcoming World T20?
Luke: I believe Pakistan have a good chance of impressing in the World T20. They are all very skillful players and most importantly, they know the conditions very well. In my personal view, they would have had a better chance if they had Ahmed Shehzad in the side but even without him, the squad is a strong one and which is very difficult to beat.
Watch the first Twenty20 international between South Africa and England live on Sky Sports 2 this Friday from 3.30pm.
Before then, do not miss South Africa Women take on England Women in their second T20 from 11.25am on Friday, also on Sky Sports 2.
