Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens has admitted he was disappointed that England lost the Hong Kong sixes final to Pakistan.
The 35 year old was part of the England side that lit up the tournament at the Kowloon Cricket Club at the weekend, but ultimately lost the final to a strong Pakistan line up.
Stevens scored nineteen off just six balls in that game, but admitted to KSN that the better side were victorious on the day:
“It was disappointing and we didn’t play as well as we could have. We had a couple of first timers there and we lost to a Pakistan side that were without doubt the best side in the tournament.”
“It was a shame that Umar Akmal took that catch off me that probably won them the game.”
“I couldn’t believe my eyes and had he not taken that we could have gone on and won it. It’s also a shame that I missed out on the Player of the Tournament to Akmal, but at the end of the day it worked out well for him.”
The tournament had started so well for Stevens on a personal note, hitting 35 off 10 balls against Bangladesh in the opening game before smashing an incredible 105 off just 35 balls whilst playing for the Rest of the World against the All Stars XI and the Kent batsman admitted he was striking the ball cleanly:
“On the Friday, we had a good win against Bangladesh and I played nicely there. Going into the game that afternoon Abdul Razzaq said I could bat at four, I took it and it was one of those days.”
“Obviously the boundaries are really small and it was an artificial pitch so it was really true, but I think it was as good as I’ve hit a ball for a long time.”
Having hit form so early in the tournament, Stevens explained that he was persuaded to move higher up the order:
“I batted at number three for most of the tournament and even though we lost against Ireland I came in for the last three balls and hit all of them for six.”
“It was a shame the game was already lost by then, but they asked me to open after that as myself and Chris Read were hitting it quite well.”
As to whether he feels he has done enough to persuade the England selectors to call him up for future tournaments, Stevens remains positive:
“In hindsight, I have done the best I could. I bowled well and hit the ball well. Over the years the England sides that have gone out there haven’t fulfilled their potential and I think I did myself no harm at all having been there.”
Many cricketers pack their bats and whites away for the winter, but Stevens remains keen to get as much cricket is as possible and told KSN how he had a few irons in the fire:
“I’m looking at doing some coaching with some young lads and I’ve got my name down for a couple of Twenty 20 competitions.”
“There is a tournament in Bangladesh that I’m waiting to hear about along with the one in New Zealand where I played for the Otago Volts last year, so hopefully one of those tournaments come up and I get myself away for three or four weeks.”
On the possibility of playing for the Volts again, Stevens admitted that boat may have already sailed:
“I spoke to the Volts and they have signed Dimi Mascarenhas, but as it is still two overseas a side they could still sign me, but they are struggling for money this year as there is no international cricket in New Zealand this year and as a result all of the franchises take a knock financially.”
“Most of the provinces are only going to have one overseas player this year and with Dimi living in Melbourne now it is cheaper all round for them to bring him in.”
“It’s a little bit disappointing as I really enjoyed my time there last year.”
Despite seemingly missing out on a deal with Otago Volts, Stevens has been been let down by another franchise when it appeared that he had got a contract lined up:
“I actually got offered a deal with Canterbury Wizards just before I went to Hong Kong and then I got a call from Neil Fairbrother, my agent, basically saying they have pulled the offer on my contract and they are taking on Yasir Arafat instead.”
“The contract was offered over the phone and by e-mail and then we got an e-mail saying that they have gone with Yasir Arafat as they wanted a bowler. I am disappointed and I think it is bad management on their part.”
Putting that disappointment behind him, Stevens is joining fellow Kent cricketer, Geraint Jones, Chief Executive Jamie Clifford and KSN Editor Steve Wolfe in growing a moustache for the month of November.
Called Movember, the idea is for guys to grow a moustache all in the name of charity with proceeds from sponsorship going towards prostate cancer charities and raising awareness.
With the month just days old, Stevens admitted it was still too early to see quite how he will look:
“To be fair, when I grow a beard I shave that off first to see what I look like with a tash and it looks wrong.”
“Being it’s only the third day and it doesn’t grow that quick I haven’t got a lot going on, but give it a few weeks and we’ll all look terrible!”
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