IPL experience, India’s no-balls helped me: Lendl Simmons

Mumbai: Lendl Simmons, who top scored with a brilliant 82 to steer West Indies to the final of the ICC World T20, said the two no balls bowled by the Indian bowlers swung the game in the favour of his team. “I obviously think it (the two no balls) swing in our way…it could have been different ball game had I been out and a new batter (batsman) would have been in and you never know what could have happened,” Simmons said after West Indies beat India in the semifinals of World T20 here. Simmons survived two chances. While Ravichandran Ashwin’s no-ball gave man-of-the-match Simmons ’life’ at 18 when Jasprit Bumrah had taken the catch and then Pandya overstepped when the right-hander was on 50. [caption id=“attachment_2706414” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Lendl Simmons. Solaris images[/caption] Heaping praise on Johnson Charles (52), Simmons said the opener took the pressure off him. “He (Johnson Charles) took a lot of pressure off myself. Getting those boundaries, he read the conditions well, he batted perfectly in the situation,” he said. Simmons said he felt jittery going into yesterday’s match. “When I went out to bat, I had a clear mind what I had to do, because we had a target to chase, so we had a plan. Before the game I was a bit nervous, I was a bit (under) pressure from the guys as (I) came here a job , I feel, but overall it was good, we had a target to chase and, we got there. “Today was my day, I had a bit of luck on my side, I rate my luck and things went the way I wanted it,” he said. Simmons insisted the successful chase of 193-run target showed that West Indies were not dependent on just one person. “There is no one man show in this team. Chris Gayle did not get off but we still managed to get over the line and that was a big total and seeing that he (Gayle) did not perform and we still were able to put up a fight and win the game, shows a lot of character from our players.” Simmons said that the players should not be over confident ahead of the final, to be played against England in Kolkata. “Conditions (in Kolkata) will be different, it won’t be a batting track like the wicket today,” he said. The 31-year-old, who plays for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, said the cash-rich tournament has helped him improve as a player. “Obviously it has made me a better player. The amount of games you have in the IPL, you are constantly playing cricket and after playing in the IPL and on these pitches, you adjust to different strokes and different situations of a game. And playing with guys like (Virat) Kohli and (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni help me in analysing my game,” he said. Simmons, who was called into the squad on Tuesday as a replacement for injured all-rounder Andre Fletcher, said: “I got the news (of playing in the squad) after the Afghanistan game and the chairman called me and asked me if I was fit. I said I was fit and I was to leave on Friday to come to Mumbai to get ready for IPL. “I saw an opportunity to get ready for the IPL, this is my home ground and I know the conditions and I think I read it well,” he explained.