http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Vernon-Philander-c2753 says bowlers should not get carried away on green pitches – Cricket News Update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757’s young seamer Vernon Philander has said that bowlers should not get carried away on a green top pitch and bowl with the same discipline as they do on a flat deck.
He was sharing his thoughts after claiming a five-for against Sri Lanka in the opening Test of the three match series at the SuperSport Park, Centurion in South Africa on Thursday, December 15, 2011.
This was Philander’s third Test and he has already become a main part of the team in longest version of the game.
The 26-year-old seamer took a five-wicket haul in his debut game against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 and followed that up by another five-for in the second match.
However, all these performances have come on lively pitches and it will be interesting to see whether Philander can continue such dominant performances on wickets with lesser support for the bowlers.
The youngster seems confident at the moment and claims that bowlers need to change nothing when bowling on any wicket.
He added, “You have to bowl as you would on a flat wicket. Sometimes when you see a green top, you think you have to bowl a bouncer, yorker, or a good length ball. But the assistance is already there so you don't have to look for anything else.”
Commenting on the first day’s play against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, Philander said that some of the opposition batsmen feared batting on a green top and were hoping for the coin to roll in their favour.
However, that did not happen, as South Africa’s captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GC-Smith-c1473 won the toss and decided to bowl first. The decision was not a difficult one to make, as the Centurion wicket had plenty of grass on it.
Despite that, Philander believed that Sri Lanka’s veteran batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397 did not show any signs of fear during his knock of 30 runs.
The right-arm seamer stated, “The way [Mahela] approached his innings, they were no signs of fearing the short ball. A lot of the subcontinent teams come here and see a green top and think they are going to be bounced on later on, so they may as well play
a few shots.”
Philander has proved himself as a useful bowler in home conditions, but the real test for him will be to deliver the same results in Subcontinent.
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