Anchoring the innings in T20 cricket (Part 2) - Opinion
Other players, who have managed to fill such roles of anchoring the innings for their teams in T20 cricket, include http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915 and Shakib are not brutal bashers of the cricket ball, but are highly
skilled technicians, who resort to brain over brawl - contests which tend to swing back and forth like reckless rickshaws, on a crooked street.
The debate over whether an anchorman should be included in the squad however, is rife and centers upon the necessity of having whom could combine flare with precision. Many teams in this tournament might consider the role as immaterial, as it could lead
to damaging prospects such as, the run rate escalating after a few good overs for the chasing side, or the prospect of posting a high score being derailed significantly. Yet if a side loses its top three with the score barely at ten, or fails to build up momentum
from the initial stutters at the top, then someone who could steer the ship out of troubled waters would be needed at all costs.
The reasons are quite obvious, especially in this year’s edition of the ICC World T20 of 2012. Firstly, the pitches in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 have changed considerably, where the Monsoon climate, coupled with a tinge of green on the surfaces at the Premadasa and the
Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy, would give ample space for bowlers to play a key role. Batting collapses could thus, become a reality for teams which are unpredictable and fickle in nature. Bowlers such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KD-Mills-c1781
of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754, would be expected to wreak havoc on opposition batting line ups, where rattling the top order could be anything, but a distinct possibility.
Secondly, the definition of an ‘anchorman’ in T20 cricket is slightly different as compared to the fifty-over format, where a batsman can afford dot balls. The man who fills in the role of an anchor in T20 cricket however, is expected to score sixes and
fours, yet retain that element of maturity that would ensure that no further damage is done. Players such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Akmal-c94595 for example, might not be considered as ‘anchormen’ in the fifty-over format, yet have the ability to pepper boundaries as well as keep
the score board ticking over, in T20 cricket. Akmal could be pinned up against Misbah Ul Haq, where the latter’s doggedness occasionally wins games for his country. Similarly, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Guptill-c1980 of New Zealand is a player that considers smashing the cherry out
of the park to be equally important as occupying the crease, alongside http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BB-McCullum-c1129, who normally goes berserk at the other end.
In a nutshell, cricket is a game where the basics stay the same and any new batsman would need to middle the ball, find the gaps and rescue his team if a top order collapse takes place. Very few teams in modern day T20 cricket have managed to resurrect their
innings, after witnessing stutters up front, by having bashers come out at critical junctures.
In light of this, players such as Umar Akmal, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World T20 of 2012, in Sri Lanka. Where it might hold true, that high scoring
affairs are bound to grace the fields of the Emerald Isle, but the likelihood of low scores being posted and batsmen rescuing their teams from precarious situations, would equally hold true. It really is a game of ebbs and flows, where everyone is expected
to play a key role, even the anchormen.
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