Coolidge, Antigua – 31 October 2008 – Andre Fletcher lit up the Stanford Cricket Ground with a spectacular display of sustained hitting on Thursday night.The Stanford Superstars opening batsmen did it with a modus operandi that works for him.
His unbeaten 90 off 66 balls against Middlesex was bombarded with a proliferation of sixes and it was the first half-century in five matches of the Stanford Super Series.
There are many who feel this form of the sport is all about slashing and slogging. Fletcher, however, operates at a different level.
“20/20 is a fast version of the game, but I approach as if it’s a one-day (50-over) game,” he said.
“If the ball is not there to hit, you try to get singles. If the bad balls are there, you try to put them away. I don’t think there is a big difference between a 20/20 and a 50-over match.”
He doesn’t consider himself to be a six-hitter. Things just worked for him on the night when he hoisted seven sixes and Middlesex had no answer to the onslaught.
Inside the first five overs of the match, he had already cleared the ropes three times.
Later in the innings, he lifted a ball well beyond the boundary and onto Airport Road. On another occasion, one was despatched onto the roof of the Grand Stand.
“It is a natural thing. If the ball is there to hit, you hit it. If it’s not there, you look for singles and twos,” he said.
“The balls were there. I relied on my strength and I went for it.”
The 20-year-old Grenadian earned his selection to the Stanford Superstars team on the basis of his performances in the 2006 and 2008 Stanford 20/20 tournaments.
In both competitions, he scored half-centuries that helped the Spice Isle progress to the semifinals the first year and to the quarterfinals this year.
Fletcher’s value is also enhanced by his ability to keep wicket and while he is primarily a batsman, many teams have often turned to him to do duties behind the stumps.
After his superb show with the bat on Thursday night, he will be one of the men to watch when the Stanford Superstars face England in the Stanford 20/20 for 20 game on Saturday.
The Stanford Superstars’ crushing 58-run victory over Middlesex served notice to England, but Fletcher knows the tourists will come prepared.
“We expect them to go back and try to figure us out and came hard at us,” he said.
“We will do the same thing. We will figure them out and try to pull off a victory.”.