The Indian hand in Stanford extravaganza

8220;There wasn8217;t an opening ceremony which I think was certainly warranted. We just went there and started playing straight,8221; he says. He adds that even the fixtures were designed oddly, as Middlesex8217;s only meaningful game was sandwiched between two 8216;warm-up8217; games against England and the Stanford Superstars. 8220;The match against T038;T was crucial for us. And even though we were playing to win in the other two games, the fact that they didn8217;t have any significance was there in the back of our minds,8221; he admits.

The pitch at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua also came in for severe criticism. 8220;It was very slow, and the ball wasn8217;t coming onto the bat, as was very evident from all the games,8221; he says.

The quality of cricket during the tournament was not of the highest standard, and all the teams were guilty of dropping a number of catches. But Kartik reveals that the lights at the ground were not great, and that it was difficult sighting the ball. 8220;It was like catching a half-moon at times. You simply couldn8217;t spot the ball. Even the West Indian cricketers who have played here before struggled,8221; he explains.

Apart from the Stanford Series and the Twenty20 championships in England, Kartik also played in the IPL as part of the Kolkata Knight Riders. And he believes that the quality of competition during the first season was the best of the lot. 8220;It was fantastic. I also expect the Champions League to be very well organised and for the cricket to be of the highest standard,8221; he says.