Money driving factor for players in mid30s
Ben Cutting seems to have the knack of leaving it till late. In the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the 30-year-old hit two huge sixes against Shane Watson in the last over to take Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) past 200. Sunrisers ultimately won by 35 runs.
Cut to last year’s final, and Cutting had a similar role to play. In the title clash between SRH and RCB, the Australian came in at No 6 and scored 39* off just 15 balls.
He later picked 2/35 as SRH clinched the final by eight runs. His effort earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.
After playing another late but significant innings, Cutting spoke to Abhishek
Paul on what he thought of the IPL, SRH and his career: You affected a great run out of Kedar Jadhav in SRH’s opener against RCB. Shane Watson and Yuvraj Singh said it was the turning point of the match. Your thoughts. It’s important to keep cool on field in T20 cricket. When there is a high contest between bat and ball, it’s often fielding that decides the winner. I was lucky that the ball came into my hands perfectly and my throw hit the stumps directly. You also played a 16run knock that helped SRH cross the 200run mark. As an all-rounder you are expected to do everything; whether it is to go for big hits in the last overs, or bowl in the 19th or 20th over. That’s the beauty of T20 cricket. Will playing the IPL boost your chances of returning to the Australia team? It’s a motivation but it will not boost my chances. I think the Australia team is pretty settled. I am not here to play for a spot in the Australia team, I am here to play for SRH. For a player like you, who is in his 30s, is money the driving factor for playing T20 leagues? Not so much yet for me. Money, probably, is the driving factor with guys as they reach mid-30s, and are approaching retirement. They want to settle post-retirement in a better way.
I turned 30 two months back, and probably will play at the top level for two to three years more. There’s plenty of cricket left in me. I am doing well in the T20s and that’s why I am playing and not because of the money.