cricketrulz

Cricket Expert Grahm Thorpe says:

The two English sides - Somerset and Sussex - did not set the Champions League on fire, but that was mainly to do with their inexperience of playing Indian conditions.

There is not enough international experience in Somerset or Sussex's squads and that has probably counted against them as they crashed out of the inaugural competition.

If you look at the IPL sides they have such a wealth of experience at the highest level of the game, as do teams like New South Wales and Trinidad and Tobago.

For Somerset to lose their second most experienced player in international terms, Marcus Trescothick (pictured), it left far too much pressure on Justin Langer to lead the side.

You simply cannot afford to lose one of your key players when the squad is so thin. I would not say that the two English sides were naive, but it certainly took me two A-tours in India to adjust my game to the conditions and gain experience.

The style of cricket is required in India demands that you exploit the early overs on flat wickets. To play aggressively from the off is not generally the way English sides are used to playing, even in the Twenty20 format.

It is very difficult for a county player to be thrown suddenly into the spotlight and have to play in front of a huge crowd in an intimidating atmosphere.

There was a distinct lack of experience in the two squads if you compare them to NSW and the big name stars scattered across the IPL teams.

T&T have been superb too and they have benefited from having played a lot together as a unit. They also possess a good number of players who have represented West Indies at big international competitions in the past.

The success of T&T makes everyone realize the immense potential sides from the West Indies have, especially when they are organized and helping themselves.

I am keen for West Indies to hold together as a group of islands in cricket terms and, while T&T have been successful, their identity should not change.

There is no doubt that cricket in the West Indies is now heavily weighted towards the Twenty20 format and everyone in the game likes to see them compete at a good level.

As for the Dirk Nannes situation, with the fast bowler having played for both Victoria and the Delhi Daredevils, it is a shame it has to be such an issue. I imagine the IPL sides will always have precedent over their players and Nannes probably had very little say in the matter.

It is a real shame for the bowler that he could not represent his home team, but that is the way the game is going with the IPL having the power.