Teams need to focus on running to build for T20 World Cup, says Dean Jones
Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones believes that with big grounds in Australia, the teams must focus more on running between the wickets and set their team accordingly for the showpiece event next year. A similar point was mentioned by David Warner during his post-match chat against Sri Lanka.
The T20 World Cup will be held Down Under next year and every team is well aware of the size of the grounds in Australia. Greats like MS Dhoni have given high importance and have often spoken about running between the wickets as one of the key factors in T20 cricket. Indian captain Virat Kohli is also a believer of the same and has shown supreme fitness during running between the wickets and converting the 1s into 2s and 2s into 3s.
Former Australian batsman Dean Jones also believes that teams need to build their squad keeping in mind that boundaries and sixes won't come easy on these bigger grounds in Australia and running between the wickets will be a crucial factor in deciding the game as every single run is important.
"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," Dean Jones told TOI.
India will be touring Australia in October and it will be a dress rehearsal to the T20 World Cup in November next year. Jones believes that the line and length used in the subcontinent will change in the conditions Down Under as the victorious Australian team in the 2015 World Cup had used short bowling. Thus accordingly the Indian bowlers will have to adjust their line and lengths and will have to be smart as far as the running between the wickets is concerned.
"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.
Jones also gave his opinion on Shakib's absence by pointing out that this will give the Bangladesh team a chance to find out what their exact roles are. Shakib has been Bangladesh's talisman for the past decade and has contributed well both in batting and bowling. Thus his absence will test the character of the Bangladesh team but will also give opportunities to youngsters who have done well in the Bangladesh Premier League.
"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.
Jones is a firm believer of each player having their respective roles in T20 cricket and thinks that if each player does the assigned role to his full capability then there is every chance of the team winning the game. He recalls the time when his Australian team was on a losing streak before the 1987 World Cup but the clarity of thoughts helped them win the World Cup against all odds.
"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 concluded.
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