IPL 2019 | You’ve got a bit of an advantage if you’re a wristspinner, claims Shakib Al Hasan
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Shakib Al Hasan has claimed that a wrist spinner will always have an advantage over a traditional finger spinner in the shorter format of cricket. Shakib further added that the SRH outfit have had a productive season thus far and hope to secure qualification for the playoffs.
Shakib Al Hasan has been an ever-present figure in the Indian Premier League since making his league debut back in 2011 for Kolkata Knight Riders. Eight years and 61 IPL matches later, Shakib finds himself in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dugout after being picked up by coach Tom Moody at the 2018 IPL auction. However, the IPL veteran has only managed to make one appearance this season finding himself as back-up to Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi. In a recent interview with ESPNCricinfo, the experienced all-rounder spoke about how the wristspinners are enjoying an advantage in the shorter format of the game over the last couple of years or so.
"It is difficult. Especially for a finger-spinner, it is very difficult. If you are a wrist-spinner, you've got a little bit of an advantage. But having said that, most grounds are not that big. And the format is such that the batsmen are coming at you all the time. You need to be on your toes to be able to survive or to do well in this format.
"Well, because it is a little unorthodox. Five-ten years back, there were hardly any. Other than Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, you can't name so many legspinners. So people are not used to facing legspinners. It's new to the players. Once they get used to it, legspinners have to come up with some different plans. It will happen in 3-4 years. Because nowadays, you see all teams have got one or two legspinners. So batsmen are trying to play accordingly. And they are trying to get better playing against them. Once they get better at it, the legspinners need to come up with better plans," Al Hasan said in an interview with ESPNCricinfo.
Shakib, who has a total of 737 runs and 58 wickets in the IPL, added that he is pleased with SRH’s performance in the current season of the IPL. However, he claims that his team needs to win crucial individual battles in matches in order to make the knockout stage for the second time in a row.
"I haven't played many games. It is disappointing, but at the same time, you need to look at the bigger picture. All the overseas players are doing really well and the team as well. So it's very difficult for me to play in that situation, but I have to keep on working hard and, when I get my chance, I need to make sure I grab it with both hands.
"At this moment, I think we've done well. There were some close games that we should have won, but we lost. That is the beauty of this format. We need to make sure that in the crucial stages we win those battles. Everyone was disappointed, but at the same time, we knew that in T20 tournaments, that can happen. You need momentum to change these bad results. So we are waiting for that momentum and finally we got that momentum. If we can kick on, we'll be in a very good position," Shakib added.
