Dubai: Former England captain Paul Collingwood, who will lead Capricorn Commanders in the Masters Champions League (MCL), is confident of his team having a strong run in the league to be held from January 28 to February 13 at the Dubai and Sharjah Cricket Stadiums.
Speaking to Gulf News from England, Collingwood said: “Skill level is obviously very important to win, but given that our players are seasoned and accomplished athletes, I have every confidence that we will have a strong run in the tournament.”
When asked about the requisites to win a Twenty20 format that MCL is following in this tournament, Collingwood, who had led England to 2010 Twenty20 World Cup triumph, said: “It is important that the team composition is put together nicely, and that everyone is athletic. It is very important that everyone should be playing at a high level for the tournament.”
The biggest advantage for Capricorn team owned by actor Sohail Khan and Parvez Khan, a Dubai-based businessman and owner of property developers Pacific Ventures, is Collingwood’s knowledge about most of the international players. “First of alls it’s a privilege to lead such esteemed players who I’ve done battle with over the years, but now I can say I’m happy to be playing on the same side and hopefully we can have success at our first attempt,” said Colllingwood, who is one of the most renowned coaches of the game as England’s batting coach.
Talking about his dual role as coach and player, Collingwood said: “Coaching has given me the privilege of seeing young players grow and evolve to be such competitive athletes.”
A batting allrounder, he is also hailed as one of the finest fielders and a shrewd thinker of the game. “Good strategy will play a key factor, but equally important for a team to succeed is every players’ understanding of their role in the team and playing according to it. I am looking forward to some great games being played, it will be a great spectacle for the fans,” added Collingwood.
Pakistan’s star allrounder Abdul Razzaq is the vice-captain of the team. The captain and vice captain will be backed by Michael Vaughan, who is the team director & coach and Usman Afzaal as assistant coach.
“We could not have chosen a more exciting player than Collingwood - who is such a great leader on and off the field, and will definitely be a great asset to the team. We are aiming to win and Collingwood is the perfect captain to take us towards that direction,” said Parvez.
The team has two-time World Cup winner Andrew Symonds, Sri Lanka’s Chamara Silva, South Africa’s Ashwell Prince and Rory Kleinveldt in the team.
