Ian Bell: Tournament’s like LLC make you realise how lucky you were as international cricketers

Mumbai, England’s Ian Bell believes tournaments such as Legends League Cricket make former players realise how lucky they were in their heydays as they return to the field albeit in a much different set up.
Plenty of former players including India’s recently-retired cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik have featured in LLC this year, which is being played across four venues in Jodhpur, Surat, Jammu and Srinagar.
“To come back and play some more cricket, even though I suppose the playing days are finished and coaching is what I do now, it’s been brilliant,” Bell told PTI in an interaction.
“When you certainly play against some great players and you look at the names that are in this tournament… back then, when you were playing international cricket, you were at the pinnacle of your gam
“When you retire from playing, you don’t get these opportunities to come out in front of good crowds and have that opportunity. It does remind you of how lucky you were to be a professional cricketer for such a long period of time,” he added.
Dhawan, who announced his retirement in August, said he was still coming to terms of playing again after a break and hoped to catch on with the rhythm.
“It was a great feeling to be back on the ground, and it was a tough wicket to bat on. It was turning a lot, and it’s nice to middle the ball and score some runs,” he said a day after making a fifty for Gujarat Greats against Southern Super Stars.
“But I felt good, I was tired as well, because I played matches after 4-5 months which is quite normal,” he said.
For Bangladesh’s Abdur Razzak, it has been about keeping an eye on the national team’s concurrent tour while also doing his best having played his last international game a decade ago.
“I’m working as a selector, that’s also a tough job and I’m working as a full-time selector,” he said.
“The feelings and the atmosphere is pretty similar because there is lots of crowd and the atmosphere they create is outstanding,” he added.
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