Sydney: Australian Matthew Mott will urge the employers back home at New South Wales (NSW) to allow him leave next year to continue his work in the Indian Premier League after being convinced the competition will revolutionise the game and become a showpiece event.

The NSW coach has been assisting former Australian mentor John Buchanan at the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise and, from what he has observed so far, he can only see the IPL expanding beyond all expectations.

Mott's deal is for one year but he is so enthusiastic he will request another stint next year. Cricket NSW was happy for Mott to get more experience in the inaugural IPL, especially since he has been able to work with some of the game's top players, including Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly, Brendon McCullum and Ishant Sharma.

"It's been a magnificent experience," Mott said. "The people that have invested in this are switched on, they are multi-millionaires and they are in it for the long term, and there are certain things they expect, and I am sure they will all be honoured," Mott was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

"I think this competition will just get bigger and bigger. I don't really know what the response has been like in Australia but over here it is unbelievable. The IPL is on the front page and back page of every paper, every ground we have played at has been chock-a-block, the atmosphere is amazing," he added.

Mott added that he had learnt a great deal by observing how the elite cricketers prepare for matches. He will have more on his plate this week with the arrival of Pakistani bad boy Shoaib Akhtar, whose ban has been suspended so he can play for Kolkata this year.

 

Source : IANS