Khan: 'I must make my experience count'

EXPERIENCED leg spinner Imran Khan wants to deliver the goods for the TT Red Force in the upcoming Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup, as the team will be missing a number of senior players, who will be on West Indies duty during the regional tournament.

Red Force will be missing Kieron Pollard, Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran, Khary Pierre, Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin.

On Tuesday, speaking to the Newsday, at the National Cricket Centre, in Couva, during a Red Force trial match, Khan said, "Going into this tournament, I think it is important for myself to contribute (with) both bat (and) ball for the team because I know a lot of international guys won't be available. It is a good opportunity, for not only myself, but a majority of the younger players, who have been hungry for the cricket and were not getting the opportunity before because of the international guys. It is a perfect opportunity for everyone to come together and showcase their talent."

The regional tournament will be played in TT and St Kitts and Nevis from November 6 and Khan wants the Red Force to make use of home conditions.

"Playing at home is always an advantage to us. We are familiar with home conditions. Last year was unfortunate, we had all our international players (and) we did not go all the way, but that is how cricket is at times...as long as we play as a team, the majority will be a young team (and if we stay hungry) I think we have a really good chance of being successful in this tournament."

Khan was a part of the Jamaica Tallawahs that finished last among the six teams during the recently concluded 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament. Khan was not a regular in the starting XI, but showed his potential when he was in the team. He snatched six wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 6.69.

Khan, 35, has taken 410 wickets in 102 first class matches since making his debut in 2005. The leg spinner has always been overlooked by the West Indies selectors, but he still has the goal of representing the region.

"People saying age and stuff (is a factor), but to me age is just a number. My goal is still to play for West Indies one day and keep performing. Past couple years I have been doing that but things never went my way concerning being selected, but that is out of my control. There is so much I can do and most importantly, it is just for me to keep performing and showcasing my talent and that is more important to me."

Khan knows he has a key role in developing the next crop of TT players. "Helping the youngsters, that is always important as well, sharing my experience with the youngsters will always be helpful for them."