Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener was one of the most exciting players to watch in his era. He plied his trade before the advent of T20 cricket, but cricket fans who had the opportunity to watch him play would vouch for the fact that he could have been successful in cricket's shortest format too.
Klusener, who is nicknamed 'Zulu' because of his fluency in the local Zulu language, won several matches for South Africa with his aggressive batting down the order and swing bowling during his eight-year-long international career, but unfortunately most people remember him for the tied semifinal between Australia and South Africa in the 1999 World Cup.
Klusener, now 49, is currently serving as the head coach of the Afghanistan national team. He spoke to Malayala Manorama about his new role as well as T20 cricket and its effect on longer formats of the game.
Excerpts:
Not many have dominated a World Cup to the extent you had in the 1999 World Cup. Do memories of that tragic semifinal still haunt you?
It was an unforgettable match. South Africa were under pressure heading into the semifinal against Australia after losing to Zimbabwe in the group stage. Unfortunately, the semifinal ended in a tie with Australia advancing to the final by virtue of a superior net run-rate in the Super Six stage. Even if we had won that match and entered the final I'm not sure if we could have won the title. Pakistan was a great team.
You had an unusual baseball-style backlift which allowed you to hit freely. Cricket, especially batting, has changed over the years and the advent of T20 cricket has seen batsmen pulling off innovative shots. What do you feel when you watch someone play such strokes?
Reverse scoop and switch hit have become common shots in white-ball cricket. But I think if every batsman starts trying out such shots, it can be ugly. The game's beauty lies in textbook shots like drives and sweeps.
Being a clean striker of the ball, you would have excelled in T20s and easily been a hot property in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Do you feel you were born in the wrong era?
My failure at the World Cup will remain the biggest regret of my life. The IPL comes second. In fact, Mumbai Indians had invited me to be a part of their coaching staff three years ago, but I was not in a position to accept that offer.
Do you think Test cricket is losing its charm due to the slam-bang T20 leagues?
Definitely not. Test cricket will remain the pinnacle and the purest form of the game. Of course, T20 leagues are very popular, but the traditional format is the real test of a cricketer's skill.
Afghanistan have been making remarkable strides in the international arena. How has been your experience as their head coach so far?
They are a very good side and are improving match by match. The focus is on doing well in ICC tournaments.
How do you rate M S Dhoni and Virat Kohli?
They are true legends of the game. I love watching them winning matches for their sides with ease. Dhoni perfected the art of taking the games deep and finishing it off in the company of tail-enders. When I look at him I see myself! Players like Kohli play an anchor role by batting through most of the innings. Like me, Dhoni is an aggressive batsman who looks to dominate the bowlers right from the word go and accelerate the scoring rate. Compared to Kohli, our job was easier. Batting at the top-order and stitching the innings together by playing against quality bowling is tough. That's why I think Kohli belongs to a different class.
(Klusener is now a member of GoNuts.com, a platform for booking personalised greetings from celebrities)
