Heath Streak confident that Kolkata Knight Riders have a good chance in home ground

Table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad only look good on paper after having lost four consecutive matches after stacking up nine out of eleven wins since the beginning of the tournament. The bowling attack has been a threat to all their opponents, but Heath Streak doesn’t show any awe for the team and acknowledges the bowling group’s expertise.

“You don’t play cricket on paper,” the Kolkata bowling coach said on Thursday evening. “They are a very strong side with good players – they wouldn’t have finished at the top of the table if they weren’t. But we’re coming good at the right time. The balance, form — those are all important factors in cricket. At the end of the day, you can only play one ball at a time, whether you’re facing it or bowling. We’re really trying to focus on not the names we are playing against. We know they’re a good side and we know they’re probably favourites – but we’ve also got the home advantage and home support, which has been unbelievable.”

“Prasidh (Krishna, the tall paceman) has been outstanding. He’s brought in a new dimension, not just with his pace but his height. For me, the most pleasing thing to see is how much of a thinking cricketer he is. He’s really been smart, he’s using his options and variations well, he’s using the double-bluffs and not allowing the batsman to look at the field and know what ball’s coming next. But of course, even with all of that, you still have to execute your skill, which he’s done and I think his confidence is growing and he’s been fantastic. Yesterday (in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals), the 18th over was world-class. It reminded me of guys like Jasprit Bumrah, who came on the scene doing exactly what he (Prasidh) has. He’s really making a name of himself this IPL and he’s just another one of those names that IPL has unearthed and really brought to the fore,” Streak added.

“Kane’s played well at the moment. Sometimes people forget to just bowl good balls at him. He’s one of those players who respects good balls. So it’s about not being intimidated and go away from the plan. He’s like any other good player, but if you bowl enough in the right area you will create chances. At the moment he’s picking length and line really well, so your margins for error are very tight. But our bowlers are executing their skills a bit better. I still feel that in the first 10 overs we can improve, and I think if we can do that in tomorrow’s game while continuing what we’ve been doing in the middle and back end, we can really put them under pressure.”

“Andre is like that. There might be days where he might be a little bit expensive but he is also a match-winner, with the bat and with the ball, and that is priceless. To have someone who in their own right could make the side in one department but he is a match-winner with the bat and with the ball, so we are very fortunate, it gives us balance. It gives us the opportunity to be able to have an extra bowler, one extra batter for the skipper to be able to use, so we are very lucky to have someone of his caliber.”