Anchoring the innings in T20 cricket (Part 1) - Opinion
Many would agree that the pocket sized, enthralling, nail biting, format of cricket known as the T20, is all about bashing cricket balls out of the park, uprooting stumps out of the ground or taking some breathtaking catches, to determine the outcome of
various games. While there is no disputing the fact that T20 cricket, would be deprived of a unique flavour if these facts did not materialize on ground but at the same time, the role of a batsman that could anchor the innings, is equally important considering
the volatile nature of the format. The truth is that, in such a format, high scoring affairs are as important as settling for a reasonable score, depending on how the situation paves out for the batting side.
Top order collapses are witnessed in T20 cricket and have often become a frequent occurrence in recent times. Opening batsmen are known for their reckless nature, and are prone to being exposed to the new ball. Batsmen such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757
for example, continue to disappoint by being rattled early on by bowlers who have the new cherry in their hand. At the same time batsmen have been known to, score runs at a haemorrhaging rate, which helps the team post ridiculous totals. The fact that would
always remain with T20 cricket however is that the bowlers would have a role to play regardless of the situation and the notion that batsmen would dominate all 20 overs of the game is grossly misleading to say the least.
Many bowlers since the advent of the format, had managed to tear apart batting line ups or be instrumental in ensuring that scores are restricted to below 150 within the allotted 20 overs. One can think of the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brett-Lee-c48419 who managed to take a hat
trick in the format or http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Gul-c94604, where their match winning spells decimated batting line ups around the world. These three bowlers had cemented themselves as undisputed legends of T20 cricket and if the likes of Afridi and Gul could do the
damage early on in the upcoming http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, then someone who could anchor the innings would become of utmost significance for the opposition. Not many players in the modern era manage to combine resilience with flare, and try and resurrect
the innings from being derailed early on. It can be safely said, that an anchorman is simply indispensable for any team in any form of cricket.
Teams like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, was a hint of what the T20 format holds for any team. In light of that performance, it is fair to say, that most sides
would need a player who could middle the ball, rotate the strike and deposit sixes in the death overs, all at the same time. The truth is that most teams have players who are dynamic yet lack dexterity which is equally important. One can think of the Australian
opening duo, of Warner and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MEK-Hussey-c1942, fail to rotate the strike and rescue the team from a precarious situation. Hussey’s label as an undisputed
annihilator of the cricket ball is misleading to say the least, considering that most of the knocks that he managed to play for Australia, have been a mixture of doggedness, craft and some sensational hitting at the end of the innings.
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