When Martin Guptill agreed to join defending champions Karachi Kings for the rescheduled second-half of the PSL, he might have thought the idea of a little sun sounded nice.
Then factor in the chance to get in some decent match practice in conditions that will be similar – and perhaps even completely identical by the time the tournament comes around – to the T20 World Cup later this year, then even better.
Temperatures back home in Auckland have been hovering around the 15-degree mark this week. Compare that to the UAE, where the summer is starting to bake. In Sweihan, near Al Ain, a temperature of 51.8 degrees was recorded on Sunday.
Karachi will restart their PSL campaign on Thursday against Multan Sultans, in the first of the double-header match days. The game will start at 5pm at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
Guptill acknowledges the temperatures for the rest of this tournament will take some getting used to for everyone, but he is looking forward to the challenge.
“I always struggle with the heat unfortunately,” said Guptill, who was brought in as a replacement player following the league’s suspension.
“Coming from winter back at home, into the 40-odd degree heat is going to be a challenge. That sort of heat is something I will never be able to get comfortable with.
“But at the end of the day it is going to be the same for everyone here. From my side, it is going to be a case of making sure I am well hydrated going into the game, that I keep my fluids up, and that I don’t start cramping too early during a game.
“That is what I will be looking to do to try to combat the heat.”
The New Zealand opener has his mind fixed on helping Karachi retain the title they won in a similarly disrupted season last time out.
A by-product of his recruitment could be some handy acclimatisation with playing conditions that could be repeated later this year, on the global stage.
New recruits brought in for PSL 2021
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1. Andre Russell (Quetta Gladiators). The Jamaican powerhouse is no stranger to the big leagues – nor Abu Dhabi, where he was based with Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2020 IPL. Sportzpics -
2. Shimron Hetmyer (Multan Sultans). The Guyanese left-hander actually replaced a replacement. He was swapped in for Mahmudullah at the most recent replacement player draft. Sportzpics for BCCI -
3. Mohammed Wasim (Multan Sultans). Another new recruit for Multan. The batsman has yet to play international cricket for UAE, but caught the eye in the Abu Dhabi T10 during the winter. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
4. Usman Khawaja (Islamabad United). The Australia left-hander will be representing the city of his birth, having been brought in to cover the loss of England batsman Alex Hales. Sportzpics -
5. Tim David (Lahore Qalandars). A last minute call up to replace Joe Burns, David has a T20 strike rate of 154.07 – and experience of UAE conditions. He played here for Singapore in the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifier. Getty Images -
6. Martin Guptill (Karachi Kings). While his compatriots are playing in the World Test Championship in the UK, the Kiwi opener will be getting some valuable T20 game time in ahead of the World Cup later this year. Sportzpics -
7. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Multan Sultans). Another Multan recruit who has good knowledge of the local conditions. The Afghan made a hundred on his ODI debut in Abu Dhabi at the start of this year. AFP -
8. Fidel Edwards (Peshawar Zalmi), Peshawar lost this season’s leading wicket-taker when Saqib Mahmood was ruled out by the date change. In comes a West Indies quick who starred in the Abu Dhabi T10. Reuters -
9. Blessing Muzarabani (Multan Sultans). The towering Zimbabwe quick is the latest of the late call ups. His signing was announced while the players were already in Abu Dhabi quarantining. AFP -
10. Sultan Ahmed (Lahore Qalandars). Big boots to fill, having been drafted in to bowl the overs of the unavailable Shakib Al Hasan. But the UAE spinner has shown he can cope, having excelled for Lahore in the T10. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
11. Zahir Khan (Quetta Gladiators) The left-arm wrist spinner from Afghanistan was brought in during the most recent mini draft, as a replacement for Australian allrounder Ben Cutting. Getty Images -
12. Rovman Powell (Peshawar Zalmi) Powell was one of three West Indians to have been recruited by Peshawar since the league was suspended – along with Edwards and Fabian Allen. AFP
The ICC are pressing ahead with planning for the T20 World Cup to be switched from India to the UAE in October and November.
For the likes of Guptill, and all the other players at the PSL who are eyeing an appearance in that competition, the next two weeks in the capital could prove beneficial.
“It is different to playing here to what it is back at home,” Guptill said.
“The likes of Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali are going to be a big challenge over here. Slower balls are going to come into play as the tournament wears on and the pitches get a bit drier. It is going to be a great challenge, which I am looking forward to.”
As well as the weather, another challenge leading players continue to face is life on the road in biosecure bubbles.
According to David Miller, Peshawar Zalmi’s South African batsman, players need to find a way to adapt.
“It is very difficult to manage the bubbles over a period of time,” Miller said.
“It is OK if you come in for a tournament, but if you start going from tour to tour to tour, it does get very difficult.
“Leaving one tour, straight onto the next tour, having a quarantine for the next seven days, then still being in the bubble does get mentally draining.
“It is just about trying to find out what is the release that you have. You hear of a lot of players having mental issues with the challenges around bubble life.
“I don’t think it is going to be going away anytime soon. So as players, teams and management, I think we need to come to a place where we can eventually make this work.
“I don’t think it is healthy to be doing this for months on end, but I have accepted the fact that, I want to play cricket so I need to be here.”
