Kollam rides on youth to create shock waves

The first week of the second Kerala Premier League (KPL) concluded with debutants Phoenix Medicine Kollam Kernels hogging the limelight through a hat-trick of victories. Not only did they stun defending champions Dunes Cuisine Kannur Veerans, but also scored emphatic victories in all their three matches. It was a dream start for Kollam, a district known as the capital of Kerala’s cashew industry and famous for its beautiful lakes, lagoons and backwaters. Interestingly enough, the team is owned by Adil Mirza, who hails from Karachi in Pakistan. Speaking to Gulf News, a proud Mirza said: “I am delighted that we have put up a great show in our very first appearance in this tournament. Kollam team is made up of Phoenix Medicine team players who have been performing excellently in UAE’s domestic cricket tournaments and hence we decided to join KPL under the name of Kollam this year.” When asked what prompted him to choose Kollam, Mirza said: “Frankly, among all the names of the Kerala districts that were suggested to me, I found Kollam easy to pronounce and so I went for it. Along with manager Ifran Ansari, who is the coach and manager of the team, and captain Asif Mumtaz we picked a good combination.” Kollam began their campaign with a six-wicket victory over Thumbay Kasargod and the next day thrashed champions Kannur and ended the week with a six-wicket win over Palakkad. Ansari is the man behind the team’s strategy with years of experience as a coach and a player. “When we picked the team, we gave emphasis on young players. The average age of the team is around 24. Twenty20 is a game where young and agile players can play a big role,” remarked Ansari, who has been the coach of the UAE Under-15 to Under-19 teams in international tournaments. While captain Mumtaz is only 23 years old, all the others are in their twenties. “Our strength is our batting which runs till the last man but our biggest advantage is our fielding,” said Ansari, who was also instrumental in the formation of the Phoenix Medicine team nearly three years ago and has guided the team to victories in Abu Dhabi Twenty20 and in Ramadan tournaments. Kollam’s youngest player is 17-year-old Justin James, a fine left-arm spinner from Kerala. In the first match against Kasargod, James bagged three wickets for just 20 runs. Another promising youngster is twenty-year-old Aqib Malek, who was former captain of the UAE Under-15 team and has represented UAE Under-17 and Under-19 teams in international tournaments. Twenty-one-year-old Mohammad Qasim emerged as the hero in Kollam’s win over Palakkad with a breezy 83 runs. They also have 21-year-old Fahad Ansari in the fray. Experienced players like 27-year-old Hafiz Khalim, who cracked 83 runs in Kollam’s shock win over Palakkad, and allrounder Ayub Inayat are prolific scorers for Phoenix in domestic tournaments. “We want to carry on the winning momentum. The victories over top KPL teams have given us the confidence. Twenty20 is all about keeping ones nerves under control and producing the best,” said Ansari. From Gulfnews