12th March 2010 - Times Online: Timing can be everything in sport and for Michael Lumb, the Indian Premier League (IPL) promises to be a pivotal event when it gets under way today amid fireworks and hype.
Lumb teamed up with Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur last Friday with his reputation at its highest yet after the England Lions tour to the United Arab Emirates. Further success before the end of the month may persuade the national selectors to pick him for the 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 in April and May.
He feels that the force is with him after scoring 110 against Pakistan A in a 50-over match in Dubai and striking boundaries from the last two balls, delivered by Luke Wright, to earn the Lions a win over the senior England team in a Twenty20 match in Abu Dhabi. His unbeaten 58 came from 35 balls.
“If I do well, I should have a chance for the World Twenty20; if I don’t, it probably takes me out of the frame,” he said. “I am looking at it positively and thinking the timing could be nice.”
The emergence of Craig Kieswetter, his Lions opening partner, shows that strides can be taken rapidly and Lumb, 30, has taken due encouragement. “What happened to Craig shows that guys do get noticed and rewarded,” Lumb said. “He has done brilliantly.”
Players yet to feature at international level can be bought outside the IPL auction. Rajasthan approached Lumb in January and Sean Morris, the chief executive, said that it followed extensive research. Lumb scored 442 Twenty20 runs for Hampshire last year and his career strike-rate is 148.51 runs per hundred balls.
A strong endorsement from Shane Warne also helped. Lumb played a county season under Warne in 2007 and has already recognised the “family atmosphere” that the captain/coach has recreated. “I know how he is and what he expects,” Lumb said. “We have come from all parts but we will be a proper team, not just little groups.”
To most people, Lumb’s $50,000 (about £33,000) fee would be a nice little earner, but it represents small change alongside the hundreds of thousands of pounds lavished on the headline players. “For me, it is all about opportunity,” he said. “Being around the best in the world — what is that worth in terms of experience? You can’t put a figure on it.”
Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article7058910.ece
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