Former Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brien has said that the youngsters drafted into the ongoing Swaminarayan Pro20 tournament to capitalise on the opportunity if they have to grow their careers.
Citing his own example, O’Brien, who made his Ireland debut in 2006, said he never expected to get a bagful of opportunities in his early days as an international cricketer.
“We have over 30 youngsters in this tournament and it’s good for their career development. I was in such a situation before and ended up getting a platform for my career. You get the opportunities and you have to make the most of it," said O'Brien who is turning up for Play Master Warriors.
O’Brien opened his account in the tournament on a bad note as his side lost by 71 runs to Mombasa Cement Giants in the third match of the tournament.
O’Brien, who hit six huge sixes in a 50-ball century - the fastest in World Cup history added, “I think individuals selected for this tournament need to have the mindset of cashing in on opportunities. They must be able to see the opportunities fast and grab them.”
Despite the event being used to raise funds for needy patients, O’Brien said they want to give their best in the tournament alongside other foreign international players.
“It’s really good that this event seeks to give the best medical care to over 200 patients in Nairobi but we should also try and play good cricket. We are here to bowl, bat and field well too,” he said.
Giants scored 165 for 6 with Cutchi Leva’s Mohit Jhawa top-scoring with 46. Jhawa put on a third wicket stand of 79 with Zimbabwean Elton Chigumbura (38) that got the score to 108 after 11 overs.
“I think the Giants batted and bowled well. We must take the lessons learned in the loss to the next matches. It's only four teams making it into the semis and so we should quickly shift our focus on the remaining matches and make sure we get it right,” O’Brien said.
Nairobi Gymkhana’s Dominic Wesonga was the star bowler in the match with four wickets in six balls including a hat-trick as giants defended their total in 14.2 overs.
