T20 Cricket: Batsmen re-discovering themselves
Sunday, April 4, 2010
6:44 AM
Labels: 2010 , 2010 World Cup , Collingwood , Delhi daredevils , ICC T20 , IPL , Mahela Jayawardene , 0 comments
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has transformed many slow batsmen into hard hitters. It is hard to imagine Mahela Jayawardene hitting 110 runs in 59 balls proving he has the ability to play whirlwind knocks. Jayawardene thus guided Kings Punjab XI to a splendid victory, chasing Kolkata Knight Riders' total of 200.
Similarly, Paul Collingwood too hit a splendid unbeaten 75 off 46 balls to help Delhi Daredevils down Royal Challengers Bangalore. Collinwood hit seven sixes in that match revealing that he can be as good as his England teammate Kevin Pietersen, who is considered their hardest hitting batsman.
Collingwood and Jayawardene are the type of batsmen who rarely attempt to hit powerful or wild shots and so no one ever expects them to swell the score at a brisk pace. In fact, when they bat, it's rare to spot a fielder on the boundary line. So it must have been shocking for Kolkata skipper Sourav Ganguly, who has played many matches against Jayawardene in international cricket, to see such a transformation.
Jayawardene, like Sachin Tendulkar, does not believe in hitting sixes, and he too showed that boundaries can produce the same effect like the big sixes. His innings contained 14 boundaries and only three sixes, but he did more harm than Kolkata's Chris Gayle, who cracked 88 runs with eight sixes.
Making a point
Jayawardene's inning was nothing but a reflection of his fighting spirit. He must have been really disappointed by the string of defeats to his team and wanted to make a point.
Collingwood's innings mainly showed his love for the IPL. In a chat with him in Dubai during the Pakistan-England series recently, he clearly expressed his passion for the IPL and urged authorities to create a window for the IPL in the international calendar so that England players too can participate in it.
Until recently, England players rarely hit hard, and Twenty20 cricket has helped many to even change their batting approach. So, if at all England does well in the oncoming Twenty20 World Cup, a lot of it can be attributed to their IPL experience.
Cricket nations should no longer view IPL as just another domestic tournament, but as an event that can help them become champions in the Twenty20 format of the game.
Both Jayawardene and Collingwood have clearly shown that batsmen too can be as unpredictable as the result of an IPL match. On their day they can be as dangerous as any reputed hard hitter.
Similarly, Paul Collingwood too hit a splendid unbeaten 75 off 46 balls to help Delhi Daredevils down Royal Challengers Bangalore. Collinwood hit seven sixes in that match revealing that he can be as good as his England teammate Kevin Pietersen, who is considered their hardest hitting batsman.
Collingwood and Jayawardene are the type of batsmen who rarely attempt to hit powerful or wild shots and so no one ever expects them to swell the score at a brisk pace. In fact, when they bat, it's rare to spot a fielder on the boundary line. So it must have been shocking for Kolkata skipper Sourav Ganguly, who has played many matches against Jayawardene in international cricket, to see such a transformation.
Jayawardene, like Sachin Tendulkar, does not believe in hitting sixes, and he too showed that boundaries can produce the same effect like the big sixes. His innings contained 14 boundaries and only three sixes, but he did more harm than Kolkata's Chris Gayle, who cracked 88 runs with eight sixes.
Making a point
Jayawardene's inning was nothing but a reflection of his fighting spirit. He must have been really disappointed by the string of defeats to his team and wanted to make a point.
Collingwood's innings mainly showed his love for the IPL. In a chat with him in Dubai during the Pakistan-England series recently, he clearly expressed his passion for the IPL and urged authorities to create a window for the IPL in the international calendar so that England players too can participate in it.
Until recently, England players rarely hit hard, and Twenty20 cricket has helped many to even change their batting approach. So, if at all England does well in the oncoming Twenty20 World Cup, a lot of it can be attributed to their IPL experience.
Cricket nations should no longer view IPL as just another domestic tournament, but as an event that can help them become champions in the Twenty20 format of the game.
Both Jayawardene and Collingwood have clearly shown that batsmen too can be as unpredictable as the result of an IPL match. On their day they can be as dangerous as any reputed hard hitter.
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