Leg-spinner Walsh relishes time spent with Khan during CPL
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (CMC) — West Indies leg-spinner Hayden Walsh says getting the chance to be teammates with fellow leggie Rashid Khan of Afghanistan during this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Twenty20, was a rewarding experience.
Though Walsh had several reasons to be disappointed about his performance in the CPL, he said he enjoyed playing alongside Khan, recognised as one of the most competitive spin bowlers in the T20 format around the globe.
Walsh took only seven wickets in 10 matches in this year’s CPL, which was contested entirely in Trinidad.
It was a stark contrast to the 22 wickets he grabbed last year for champions Barbados Tridents that jettisoned him into the Windies team following a brief stint playing for the United States.
“The positives from the CPL was I do not think I was bowling that bad — bowling long hops and full tosses, here, there and everywhere,” Walsh said during a videoconference with the media from the Windies’ training base in Lincoln.
“I thought I was more consistent this year than last year, but I guess you cannot win it every year and you cannot win it all the time, so you just roll on and try again.”
He added: “But I was really in awe having Rashid around. We talked about a few grips and a few variations of the googlies he has in his armoury.
“One thing I took away from it all was that I am a different bowler to him, and I just needed to be myself sometimes. But I like his mentality, I like how he is always positive and ready for a fight and never backs down.”
For now, Walsh said getting used to the cooler conditions in New Zealand and the quarantine of the biosecure bubble because of the COVID-19 pandemic was important to him.
“It’s definitely been cold, but I have been in England quite a bit, so having these conditions remind me of being in England,” he said. “I just try to crack on with it, but it’s cold.
“I have not been watching too much of the domestic matches, but I have seen a few clips and the conditions look bowler-friendly. It’s a positive in my mind going into these matches.”
On the biosecure bubble, he said: “There are some tough days, where you want to go home. But I have tried to keep myself occupied with a bit of painting. I have finished a few pieces and I have put them up on my Instagram Stories.
“We are now able to go into each other’s rooms and so I try to go into someone else’s room and have a chat if things get a little too boring. There are some tough days and there are some OK days. I am sure it will get better when we get out to play.”
Walsh said he has spent the time in quarantine working on his painting skills and relishes the calmness it has brought to his life, which he hoped he can transfer onto the playing field.
“A friend of mine introduced me to painting,” he said. “I really enjoyed putting together the pieces and mixing the colours, so I decided this is going to be a good thing to do to pass the time while I am in quarantine – and it’s kind of helping to keep me stay calm.
“They say, when painting, you cannot rush the brush, so I am trying to take that into my game and take everything nice and easy.”
The first T20I between the Windies and the Black Caps will be contested on November 27 at Eden Park in Auckland to be followed by matches on November 29 and 30 at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.