Mahela Jayawardene feels Kochi wicket was not perfect for Twenty20 cricket – IPL News
Kochi Tuskers http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kerala-c803 skipper, Mahela Jayawardene, expressed his concerns over the suitability of the seaming Nehru Stadium wicket for Twenty20 cricket.
On a track which helped fast bowlers, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ishant-Sharma-c64566 bagged five wickets in an outstanding bowling display as Deccan Chargers thrashed the Mahela Jayawardene-led Kochi XI comprehensively by 55 runs, on Wednesday.
Citing the track as too favourable for bowlers, Jayawardene put it in simple words that he was not sure whether it was a good wicket for Twenty20 cricket.
"I thought this (wicket) probably has touched too much in favour of the bowlers. It is difficult to say if it was a perfect T20 wicket. But I do not want to complain too much because we have to play on all sort of wickets and adapt ourselves and probably we
didn`t do that," said Jayawardene.
Having been asked to bat first by Jayawardene, Deccan Chargers could only manage to put up a total of 129 in 20 overs. The Deccan captain, Kumar Sanagakkara, hit a fabulous knock of 65 runs which eventually steered his side to reach a fighting score.
The target first seemed an easy task for the Kochi batting line-up. However, they could not get a hold of the situation and the whole side was washed out on a score of 74. Only three Kerala batsmen were able to cross double figures, while seven Kochi batsmen
got out without adding a run to the total.
Although Jayawardene maintained his stance of regarding the wicket inappropriate for the shortest format of cricket, the former Lankan skipper clarified that bowling-friendly wickets make a Twenty20 competition even more exciting.
Heaping praise on Ishant Sharma for his fantastic match-winning performance, Jayawardene admitted that he bowled in the right areas and made the difference in the end.
"It is difficult to point out where we went wrong. When you lose six wickets in the first six overs, it is always going to be tough. And credit should go to them (Deccan Chargers). Ishant bowled very well and in very good areas and created opportunities,"
added the classy Lankan batsman.
Responding to the question about Kochi batsmen’s failure on a fast track, Jayawardene stated that the players have to adjust their game according to the conditions for staying afloat in the ongoing competition.
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