A good batsman knows which balls to play and the ones to leave, both on and off the field and New South Wales Blues all-rounder Shane Watson did the same on the eve of their opening CLT20 game against he Cape Cobras. Asked if he agreed that rules were bent in this year’s Champions League to give unfair advantage to sides from the Indian Premier League (like the Mumbai Indians being allowed to field a fifth overseas player because of injuries to key players), the Aussie first warded off the query. Then with an impish smile, he said, “The Mumbai Indians are a very good side irrespective of whether rules have been changed or not.”

Title holders in 2009, the Blues open their account in the first match of the day, and Watson thinks they are prepared for the South African side. “We are lucky to have some very good youngsters like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazelwood who have done well in this format and then there are experienced men like Simon Katich, David Warner and myself, so I am excited about the contest.”

Happy with tag
Meanwhile, the Cobras are confident of causing an upset. Charl Langeveldt, who will share the new ball with Dale Steyn, said, “We’re the underdogs, which is a good thing. Our strength lies in all-round ability … we got great strike power with me and Dale (Steyn) upfront... we got Robin Peterson in spin.”

Talking on how the track could behave, Langeveldt said, “We have a bit of grass here so we think it might help us a bit.”