Saj Sadiq speaks to Ravi Bopara on the season ahead for Essex, and his views on the recent Pakistan Super League.
ONE of English cricket’'s most naturally gifted talents, Ravi Bopara is still ticking along nicely for his county Essex and is hot property when it comes to T20 franchise cricket following his recent stint in the Pakistan Super League. But does he still eye a future with England after bursting onto the international scene ten years ago?
How was the experience this time around with Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League ?
RB: The experience of playing with Karachi was really good, just as it was in the previous edition of the Pakistan Super League. It was exciting to be part of the PSL in general and playing in a league like this is just fantastic. The organisation and the manner in which each edition of the tournament has been run has been brilliant so far. Of course, the credit for this must go to all those who were involved in running the show, including the PCB and the franchise owners as well who brought this top-level cricket to Dubai and Pakistan.
Do you feel the league has the potential to grow in the coming years?
RB: It definitely has massive potential for future growth, but I would say that it is already quite big in its current form despite at the moment limited to being played mainly in UAE. One can only imagine the massive impact and growth it would have if it was played largely in Pakistan. It’s growing at a phenomenal rate with more and more people around the world getting interested in it.
If Karachi Kings had made it to the final in Lahore, would you have been happy to travel to Pakistan to play in the final with all the security issues?
RB: I would have had no qualms about travelling to Pakistan if we had made it to the final. Unfortunately we didn’t, but I would have had no problems travelling to Lahore to play in the final.
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