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“A great experience” – TKC on his T10 success
It’s been a successful start to the winter for Tom Kohler-Cadmore.
The Somerset batter helped Deccan Gladiators to claim the Abu Dhabi T10 title by smashing his way to 56 not out from 21 balls in the final as his side beat Morrisville Samp Army by eight wickets with 19 balls to spare.
He finished the competition as the leading run scorer, just pipping Somerset teammate Tom Banton, making 278 runs at an average of 34.75 with a strike rate of 198.57.
We spoke to him this week to discuss his success.
“It was really nice to start the winter well and to win a trophy,” he said. “That sort of thing gives you a lot of confidence moving forward. The crowds were really good over there this year and the standard of cricket was really good as well. There were some big names involved and it was great to be able to speak to these players and learn from them. It was certainly good fun and a great experience.
“It was great to see Bants doing so well and he was brilliant throughout the tournament. If his side hadn’t been knocked out in the semi-final I think he would have beaten me but it was nice to just pip him.
“Winning trophies is why we play the game. With the squad that we had it meant that we had about 12 individuals who could win the game for us. I was lucky to be in a squad with so many quality players coming in after me.
“We got off to a good start in the final and for the first couple of overs they bowled quite a bit of width and Nicholas Pooran went nuts at the other end. After he started like that, we felt that we had the game won. It meant that the rate was manageable and that if I got out, someone could come in and finish the job relatively comfortably.
“It meant a lot because as a player you want to win matches and lift trophies. You definitely want to be a player who contributes to those wins and successes. Whenever I play I want to be a match winner and get my team to finals and win those finals. As a player, the more finals that you play in, the better understanding you get of how to play in those occasions. It’s actually really difficult to win a trophy and in cricket there are more bad days than good days, so it’s important to enjoy the successes.
“It was nice to be able to contribute and kind of give something back to the franchise. They’ve had me back for four seasons, so it was nice to be able to sort of thank them for their continued support of me. It was nice to get over the line because it hurt so much when we fell at the final hurdle with Somerset this year. Hopefully, this experience can benefit both me and Somerset next season.”
Tom is already back in action representing Jaffna Titans in the Sri Lanka T10 Super League where he helped his side get off to a winning start against Hambantota Bangla Tigers. TKC opened the innings and made 57 from 21 balls as Jaffna won by eight wickets.
He also shared an unbeaten third wicket stand of 75 with a certain Tom Abell, who helped himself to 33 off 19 balls.
“It’s nice to have Abes over here with me and we had a good start to the tournament,” TKC explained. “He came out straight away and did what Abes does. He played beautifully and controlled it until we got over the line for a nice victory. I need to have words though because he was the super sub today and didn’t have to field!”
