Merwe reckons IPL gives an unfair advantage

Centurion: Left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe feels that the IPL provides an ‘unfair advantage’ to the players but the South African was happy for the role it has played in his call-up to the national squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in England next month. Merwe was not a certainty for the 15-man South African squad that was chosen this week for the Twenty20 World Cup. But that was before Van der Merwe made his bow for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the IPL. In his first three matches, the 24-year-old Easterns Titans star claimed four wickets for 77 runs in 10 overs and scored 44 runs off 28 balls in two innings. “I’m very chuffed to be able to represent my country at a World Cup. I knew I had only the two T20 matches against Australia, but it was the chance I had been waiting for. I came off at Centurion and then the IPL really helped too.” “Not everyone in the country gets the chance to play in such a tournament, so I guess I had an unfair advantage,” Merwe said. The left-arm spinner was pleased to have the company of legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble in his team and said he was learning a lot from his Royal Challengers’ captain. “Anil is so experienced, he has helped me a lot. I spend a lot of time with him at nets and he has been helping me with more variations.” (Agencies)