Last Updated on 44 minutes ago by Charbel Coorey
Jason Behrendorff is one of the most popular new-ball bowlers in T20 cricket, earning him the reputation of a powerplay specialist. In just his second international match, he dismissed India’s top-order comprising of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli, and went on to win the player of the match award.
Moreover, his performance in the 2019 Cricket World Cup is considered to be a major highlight of his career. He has also plyed his trade in various leagues around the world, most notably the Big Bash League (BBL) where he currently represents Melbourne Renegades. The pacer isn’t a stranger to the Indian Premier League (IPL) either, as he’s been a part of several teams, such as the Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
During an exclusive interview with Arvind Kalyana Krishnan for CricBlog at Melbourne Renegades’ announcement of Tangerine being their principal partners, Behrendorff expressed his excitement over the first BBL game in Chennai. While mentioning how passionate the fans of Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni are, he was hopeful that they would come to watch them play.
Further on, Behrendorff spoke positively regarding BBL privatisation. Despite the unclear future of the Melbourne Renegades, he was of the opinion that privatising the league would enable the BBL’s growth.
Jason Behrendorff interview: Excited for BBL in India
Below is the entire conversation between Arvind Kalyana Krishnan and Jason Behrendorff
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: First of all, the first BBL game is to be played in India and not only have you been a part of the CSK (Chennai Super Kings) in the IPL, but you made your debut in India, Guwahati. So how excited are you to play a BBL match in India?
Jason Behrendorff: “Yeah, India’s obviously such an amazing place to play cricket and the fact that we get to play a Big Bash match there is going to be unreal. Hopefully there’s the same sort of support there is for CSK. I know how noisy it gets there…..Maybe there’s a few Dhoni fans that will come out and show us some support, but really looking forward to it. It’s a great opportunity.”
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: Not only in the Indian Premier League, but T20s in general…..The scores have gone very high. The scores are very big. So for a new-ball bowler like you who has made a name to bowl with the new ball, do you think it’s got a little hard? And do you think that there’s still room for new-ball bowlers in T20 cricket?
Jason Behrendorff: “Yeah, there’s definitely a place for new-ball bowlers. The ball will swing when it’s new, gives us a chance to get our team off to a very good start. So you’ve got to embrace that challenge as a new-ball bowler because you know that batters are always coming at you.
“They’re always trying to get on the front foot and put you off your game. So that’s where we as bowlers keep developing, keep adapting to the conditions, but also making sure we got different balls in our arsenal to combat that and keep the batter guessing. So it’s a fun challenge and one that I love being a part of.”
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: With talks on the BBL being privatised and all, people still don’t know what’s happening. We have already heard a lot of statements from stakeholders and the management side. As far as the players are concerned, what are you guys thinking in context to that?
Jason Behrendorff: “Yeah, it’s hard to speak on behalf of the whole playing group, but the way I’m feeling about it is that I think it’s a great opportunity for the game.
“We want to continue to see the Big Bash be at the forefront of people’s minds in T20 cricket. So we need to make sure we’re keeping the best Australian players and also that we’re enticing some of the best international players to come and play in our game.
“So I think it will be a positive move provided all the cheques and balances and everyone’s done their due diligence, which I’m sure they will. It will come at some point and I would personally welcome it and it will be an exciting part of the game for sure.”
