Usually I find Shane Warne's commentary/articles a little myopic. However, if you move past the self congratulatory stuff - there is more in here about playing short form cricket than in many books on captaincy etc...
Twenty20 is evolving every year and at each World Twenty20 we see a new innovation, but some basic principles apply.
This World Twenty20 tournament will take place on the slow pitches of Bangladesh, similar to the ones in India where I played four seasons of the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals.
When the IPL started in 2008 we came up with some plans not seen before. A lot of people have since copied what we did, evolved and improved our ideas but I would like to think the Royals set the benchmark for how you should play Twenty20 in terms of field placements, running between wickets and set plays with batting and bowling.
When bowling we would always have a set play on the first and last balls of overs tailored to the batsman, size of the ground and situation of the game.
It could range from bowling a wide yorker to a bouncer or firing it down leg side with four men out on the fence. On big grounds we would also bowl bouncers wide of off stump every ball in the last two overs with three fielders at third man.
We would tell bowlers that instead of bowling a length ball for your first delivery, bowl instead a bouncer as a surprise. We did not want a rank loosener that would go for a boundary. The mental attitude of the bowler was vital. We would tell them at the top of your mark, whatever the delivery you are going to bowl, for example if it is a bouncer, say to yourself 'this is going to be the best bouncer I have ever bowled in my life'.
Every ball was a contest. Intensity in the field was really important to get a buzz going. We never put fielders right back on the inner circle. They would always be a step or two in because we did not want to see the opposition pinching singles off good balls. You need dot balls to build up pressure.
With a new batsman we would always bring the field up and never let him get off the mark early. We would have two fielders on the fence and a third man, but everyone else would be close in to make the batsman earn his first runs.
The key to spin in Twenty20 is never bowl the same ball twice. You might bowl six leggies per over but they would all be delivered from different parts of the crease and at different paces. It is about not being predictable. There are ways of doing that so you don’t upset your own rhythm.
Don’t try and bowl a flipper, googly and a leggie because the more variations you introduce the more chance there is for a loose ball. We also went all out to take three wickets in the first six overs. That could mean having three slips, a bat-pad or a leg gully so you would risk conceding more runs in the first six overs to take wickets.
We would also ensure the field would change every ball. As a captain you have to be two overs ahead of the game all the time. If you get a wicket you might bring your part-timer on for a quick over just to sneak it in while the new batsman is getting accustomed to the pace of the pitch, which helps make up an over if one of your main bowlers has been expensive.
When batting we tried to be 50-plus after the first six overs. We always thought we could get 50 off the last five so that gave us 100 off 11. If we managed seven or eight an over off the other nine we would post 170-plus most times. That was our basic strategy. In Bangladesh you might want to get more runs in the first six overs because it could be harder to score through the middle.
Normally, as soon as the seventh over starts the spinners come on and the field goes back. We used to have our best two players of spin, Yusuf Pathan and Ravi Jadeja, padded up from the sixth over so, regardless of the batting order, if we lost two wickets in the first three overs those two guys would drop down and be ready as soon as the spinners came on.
This would force the opposition to change tactics. They would have to bring their quicks back on, which was fine because it meant at the end of our innings they would have to bowl part-timers or risk a few overs from the spinners which we could take advantage of straight away.
You have to think on your feet in Twenty20 which is why we made all the players sit out on the ground to watch the match, not in the dressing room. It gives you a feel for the game.
I never captained in Tests but I did a lot in first-class and one-day cricket and I found Twenty20 the most satisfying because it was all about instinct. Yes I have talked about plans, but you had to adapt quickly because you are up against the clock. You have to be proactive and reactive all the time as a captain.
In Bangladesh that will be crucial because more than half of the overs will be bowled by spinners.
Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka will clearly be confident playing in the sub-continent but West Indies will be very dangerous. The tournament is only being played at two venues so the wickets are going to break up and spin will play a huge part.
We are likely to see spin bowlers opening the bowling so teams might want to put their best players of spin in a pinch-hitter role. If England want to have a chance, then Ravi Bopara has to be batting up the order rather than being the finisher. I think he was wasted in the West Indies batting down at No 7. He should be in the top three making big runs.
From the way they played spin in the West Indies, England will struggle in Bangladesh. They did not seem to have a plan in the Caribbean and just tried to swing and hit spin for four or six. They have to go back to the drawing board, work out a plan and look at the batting order.
Ashley Giles knows his cricket and perhaps they were just experimenting in the West Indies but he needs to attack rather than defend.
A top four of Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara, with Eoin Morgan at five, could be dangerous. England have to think about how they can score big runs at the top rather than being cautious and worrying about losing a few early wickets. At the moment they are putting faith in the finishers. I would try having a few starters first.
Author
Topic: Captaincy (Read 3550 times)