When there Dale Steyn and Trent Boult are in your squad and you are not allowed to pick both, a dilemma will inevitably crop up. Sunrisers Hyderabad has been facing this dilemma so far in the tournament, barring one match against Mumbai Indians when they picked both. SRH supporters always wait to know who their frontline seamer will be: the up-and-coming Boult or the experienced Steyn?
Neither. The Sunrisers team management made a risky move on Thursday by playing neither. In an attempt to strengthen their weak middle-order, they sacrificed a frontline seam bowler (or two). But the Sunrisers middle-order justified the backing of the team management by posting a match-winning 201 on a two-paced Brabourne wicket.
Whirlwind start
After being put in to bat by Rajasthan Royals, the Sunrisers began the way they usually do. At the end of four overs, they were cruising at 40 runs with Warner and Dhawan scoring three boundaries each. Although the Sunrisers batting heavily reliant on Warner, it is remarkable how the Hyderabad skipper doesn’t look to curb his natural instincts. He seems to be clear about his strengths and it has paid off almost always.
But only almost, not always. Warner got out in the next over, trying to score the third consecutive boundary off Shane Watson. And it is at this point where the Sunrisers batting starts to stutter.
First, they lose the pace set by Warner. Next, they either try to accelerate towards the end and lose wickets or go into their shells, posting a modest total. The reason for this is fairly straightforward: all their batsmen except Warner are out of form. Dhawan has scored only sporadically so far. If the lower order didn’t score, the Sunrisers bowlers had to win the match by themselves.
Change of script
On Thursday, Sunrisers batters didn’t stick to their usual script. After Warner’s dismissal, Dhawan carried on: cutting, driving, pulling, and slogging. Dhawan is a delight to watch when he gets going. He doesn’t bully the bowlers by brute force. He showcases a repertoire of shots that has more to do with perfect timing and precise placements.
But more than Dhawan, the team management would have been pleased with Eoin Morgan’s success. Morgan, who is tailor-made for T20, can score at a blistering rate, especially in the final few overs. Coming in at number four, Morgan scored his few runs at a reasonable pace, going to 18 off 13 deliveries.
Then, the fifteenth over bowled by the normally wily Pravin Tambe changed things for Morgan. After missing a juicy full-toss and mistiming a short delivery, Morgan lunged forward on Tambe’s third delivery and slog-swept the ball over the midwicket boundary. There was the crack of the ball hitting the sweet spot of the bat. It was a sound that makes batsmen believe in themselves. Morgan then punished Tambe for a four and another six in the same over.
From 18 off 13, he moved on to 36 off 19. Next over, Rajasthan tried changing the pace. They got Morris to bowl at Morgan. He scored 18 off that over. He took Hyderabad to 170 at the end of 17 overs before getting out in the eighteenth. If Morgan can repeat his performance more often, Sunrisers’ woes of not having a middle-order batsman who can carry on Warner’s start will be over.
Without Boult and Steyn
Can Sunrisers afford to stick to the same team—i.e. sans Boult and Steyn? It is a huge risk that the management will have to take. Their absence was felt in the death overs, when Rajasthan Royals bought down the equation from 57 off 18 to 18 off 6. Praveen Kumar’s military medium pace deliveries were clobbered by Morris (he hit three consecutive sixes) in the eighteenth over.
Even if Steyn and Boult are a tad expensive in the middle overs, they are undoubtedly effective towards the end. Both of them can bowl fairly accurate yorkers at a decent pace, which makes it difficult for the batsmen to go for the big shots.
With Henriques making a decent contribution with the bat and the ball, the Sunrisers can afford to pick either of their two big bowlers ahead of Ravi Bopara. A different eleven for each and every match suggests that the team is still an unsettled unit, and lacks a batsman or two in their camp. Or it could also mean they are managing their (limited) resources well and are picking horses for the courses.
Neither. The Sunrisers team management made a risky move on Thursday by playing neither. In an attempt to strengthen their weak middle-order, they sacrificed a frontline seam bowler (or two). But the Sunrisers middle-order justified the backing of the team management by posting a match-winning 201 on a two-paced Brabourne wicket.
Whirlwind start
After being put in to bat by Rajasthan Royals, the Sunrisers began the way they usually do. At the end of four overs, they were cruising at 40 runs with Warner and Dhawan scoring three boundaries each. Although the Sunrisers batting heavily reliant on Warner, it is remarkable how the Hyderabad skipper doesn’t look to curb his natural instincts. He seems to be clear about his strengths and it has paid off almost always.
But only almost, not always. Warner got out in the next over, trying to score the third consecutive boundary off Shane Watson. And it is at this point where the Sunrisers batting starts to stutter.
First, they lose the pace set by Warner. Next, they either try to accelerate towards the end and lose wickets or go into their shells, posting a modest total. The reason for this is fairly straightforward: all their batsmen except Warner are out of form. Dhawan has scored only sporadically so far. If the lower order didn’t score, the Sunrisers bowlers had to win the match by themselves.
Change of script
On Thursday, Sunrisers batters didn’t stick to their usual script. After Warner’s dismissal, Dhawan carried on: cutting, driving, pulling, and slogging. Dhawan is a delight to watch when he gets going. He doesn’t bully the bowlers by brute force. He showcases a repertoire of shots that has more to do with perfect timing and precise placements.
But more than Dhawan, the team management would have been pleased with Eoin Morgan’s success. Morgan, who is tailor-made for T20, can score at a blistering rate, especially in the final few overs. Coming in at number four, Morgan scored his few runs at a reasonable pace, going to 18 off 13 deliveries.
Then, the fifteenth over bowled by the normally wily Pravin Tambe changed things for Morgan. After missing a juicy full-toss and mistiming a short delivery, Morgan lunged forward on Tambe’s third delivery and slog-swept the ball over the midwicket boundary. There was the crack of the ball hitting the sweet spot of the bat. It was a sound that makes batsmen believe in themselves. Morgan then punished Tambe for a four and another six in the same over.
From 18 off 13, he moved on to 36 off 19. Next over, Rajasthan tried changing the pace. They got Morris to bowl at Morgan. He scored 18 off that over. He took Hyderabad to 170 at the end of 17 overs before getting out in the eighteenth. If Morgan can repeat his performance more often, Sunrisers’ woes of not having a middle-order batsman who can carry on Warner’s start will be over.
Without Boult and Steyn
Can Sunrisers afford to stick to the same team—i.e. sans Boult and Steyn? It is a huge risk that the management will have to take. Their absence was felt in the death overs, when Rajasthan Royals bought down the equation from 57 off 18 to 18 off 6. Praveen Kumar’s military medium pace deliveries were clobbered by Morris (he hit three consecutive sixes) in the eighteenth over.
Even if Steyn and Boult are a tad expensive in the middle overs, they are undoubtedly effective towards the end. Both of them can bowl fairly accurate yorkers at a decent pace, which makes it difficult for the batsmen to go for the big shots.
With Henriques making a decent contribution with the bat and the ball, the Sunrisers can afford to pick either of their two big bowlers ahead of Ravi Bopara. A different eleven for each and every match suggests that the team is still an unsettled unit, and lacks a batsman or two in their camp. Or it could also mean they are managing their (limited) resources well and are picking horses for the courses.
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