‘GREAT TEAM COMBINATION’: ALBIE MORKEL, ASIF ALI ON NEW YORK STRIKERS’ SUCCESSFUL SEASON
Abu Dhabi, 7th December 2023: Mohammad Amir’s magical spell of 4/7 and Asif Ali’s unbeaten 23 off 19 balls set the stage for the New York Strikers’ fifth win of Abu Dhabi T10 on Wednesday. The seventh edition of Abu Dhabi T10 is on the cusp of culmination with the playoffs set to begin from Friday. Strikers, with five wins in a row, are currently sitting pretty on top with 10 points and will face Morrisville Samp Army in their final game before the playoffs on Saturday.
Speaking on the New York Strikers efforts this year, Asif Ali praised the team’s combination and said that everyone has chipped in across all departments, helping the team’s success.
“It has been a good team combination for us. The players have gelled well across batting, bowling, and fielding departments. Hopefully, we will continue to perform in the same way in the final few games,” the Pakistani batter said.
Asif also went on to praise the team’s atmosphere in the dressing room and praised skipper Kieron Pollard’s cool captaincy.
“I have played so many leagues. We have a great atmosphere in the dressing room. The senior players never made anyone feel like they were senior players. They have bonded amazingly with the junior players. The management has been phenomenal,” he said.
“We discuss a lot with young players in the team. We try to tell them what they need to do achieve at this level. Skipper Kieron Pollard is cool and everyone is seeing how well he is leading the side. It has been a positive season for us,” Asif added.
Meanwhile, New York Strikers bowling Coach Albie Morkel praised the bowling efforts of his side and said that the team has a good vibe going for them.
“The same thing happened last year we lost the first game and then we got on a bit of a roll. The vibe in the team is really good. Our bowling team has been doing well his season. It was a good win for us,” Morkel said after Strikers’ five-wicket win over Chennai Braves.
“It has been a dream team effort. Everyone has made contributions with their roe. Hopefully, our batting unit can be better in the final few games. But our bowling and fielding has been outstanding and has set the tone for us.”
Morkel also detailed the process of selection of bowlers during a match and explained why the team has been making good decisions with the rotation of bowlers.
“We have a variety of bowlers, left-arm swingers, and two fantastic spinners. We have got guys who can hit the wickets. In the first two games, it was all about figuring out roles for the guys who went to bowl. It is tough to determine the same in a T10 format. But I think we have figured out our combinations well and you can see that in the field,” he said.
“We have a great leader in Kieron Pollard who has all the experience in the world. He is the kind of captain who young guys can look up to. He speaks with authority. It’s important to have a skipper like that,” Morkel added.
New York Strikers owner Mr. Sagar Khanna expressed hopes that his side can go one step ahead this season. “The team has performed exceptionally well this season. Now it is all about hitting the home run. We missed out on the trophy last year by small margins. So, we know the feeling. T10 is a tough format and game can change in a second. As long as we keep our focus and make the right decision on the field, we will in business.”