After the last win against Deccan Chargers, it was time for us to celebrate. We had a good time in the dressing room, sharing a few drinks, sitting around and congratulating the best performers. We are pretty much guaranteed of a semifinal berth and we are very excited about it.
The
franchise has promised us $50,000 for every win as Viru said at the post-match ceremony. For us guys, who haven’t played the last few games, we feel like we haven’t contributed. To win eight games out of 10 is great. And we want to make sure that we continue to earn those rewards because they are nice bonuses.
Now in Bloemfontein, we didn’t know what to expect. But it’s a nice quite place and I think everyone’s enjoying it. The guys usually like the night games because it gives them the whole morning to do a few things.
The great man, Glenn McGrath, is not used to time away from the spotlight. It is a bit tough for him, but with us virtually making it to the semifinals, there is an opportunity for him to show that he is a legend. He’s been pretty good at the nets and he still has a few reasonably friendly words to say. He still gets you out every ball by his own take, but some people dispute it.
McGrath and I played for 10 years, but you never really have the understanding of a player. But once you get in a team environment, playing with the same goals, you become friends and enjoy each other’s company.
I have been trying to tell all the New Zealand batsmen that Glenn is actually a nice guy, but they are not really believing it!