Very hard to hook short balls for six in Australia, believes Dean Jones
Dean Jones is of the opinion that the big grounds in Australia need high fitness levels to run between the wickets as it is not always possible to hook short balls for six in those "giant-sized" grounds. He has also added that teams will need to have role clarity much before the tournament.
T20 cricket's evolution to become a completely data-driven and power-hitting beast mode sport has been quite a story so far but somehow, it has not been the same in Australia. Sure enough, the likes of Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell made the grounds look smaller and scored runs at will, but overseas players will have difficulties in adjusting to the huge grounds that Australia has to offer. With the upcoming T20 World Cup being played in Australia, teams need to be wary of the dimensions and Dean Jones has a suggestion for the same.
"Australia bowled a lot of short stuff during the 2015 World Cup. It's very hard to hook it for six because those are very big grounds. Fitness is imperative. I think Bairstow and Warner - for Hyderabad in IPL - are the best partnership of running in T20 cricket. They have the strength to hit fours and sixes but still run the ones and twos. Bowlers hate it," former Australia batsman Dean Jones told TOI.
"Fortunately, India will be playing Australia in October just before the T20 World Cup. But you need to do a lot of planning. The lengths have to change and the roles need to be given out soon," Jones added.
Shakib Al Hasan has been banned by the ICC for two years, one of which is suspended, for not reporting three corrupt approaches in the last two years. While that has a huge impact on Bangladesh cricket, for the simple fact that he has been their biggest player for the last few years, Jones thinks it will help Bangladesh find their own feet.
"I know the organizational problems with the BPL. At the same time, Shakib will be ready to play the T20 World Cup. He will be available. But now it's the time to see if Mahmudullah can do the job. It will need good planning by selectors," he said.
"In 1987 World Cup, Australia were ranked the worst team in the competition. We lost eight games before the World Cup. Days before the tournament, we got the players to know what their roles are. That starts now," he reckoned.
0
0
0
0
0
0
Comments
Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions
0 Comments