Tim Southee and the intriguing art of setting up batsmen in whites

Now, three cheers for Mr Roy T. Bennett for giving out this killer quote as it's an amazing principle to live by. When it comes to cricket, it's as much psychological warfare going in the middle as it is a contest between the bat and the ball. It's a team sport but as individualistic as a sport gets. It's effectively a battle between two players at any given time with different rounds of punches and counter-punches shared between a batter and a bowler.

And that's where the art of setting up your opponent comes into the picture, especially by the bowlers. Though this art has been practised in all sorts of wars, across the globe, for centuries.

Of many things that Tim Southee doesn't possess - as much appreciation as a certain Trent Boult, as much Asian wickets as a certain Pat Cummins, as much excitement among people as a certain Kyle Jamieson, as much speed as some of his contemporaries - he's surely a master at setting-up the batters. But, it’s easier said than done. All it requires is one slip-up for the batter to figure out the plan of the bowler or duck the sucker-punch if he errs even marginally. But, that's generally not Southee - with a wealth of experience, the calmness of a monk, the instinct of a hunter, and the precision of a surgeon. 

Meanwhile, Southee was relentlessly bowling in the channel to him. But wait, was the supposedly biggest danger (LBW) even going to arrive for Pope? Forget it. At least, inexperienced Jamieson could do nothing about it. When he tried, he erred. On the other hand, all that Southee did to Pope was to draw him across, by bowling outside off. No whispers of the in-swinger yet. But it was the silence before the storm. Just like a reptile sets up its prey by leaving him into a bubble of his own, where the prey is relaxing, largely unaware of the threat. And BOOM, there comes the wicket-taking delivery. Angled towards his stumps, it swings more than any other delivery in the over - 1.27 degrees, and Pope is trapped plumb in front of the wicket. The Honeymoon is over, after all.

On day two, Southee had done something similar to Zak Crawley. He had set him up in an impeccable manner. It ended with the youngster walking into the bait, and getting out, playing a loose drive. But, he had remarkably lined him up with the in-swingers first and then dangled the carrot, very well knowing, to strike precisely while the iron was hot. But his memorable five-fer wasn’t just about the set-ups but some supreme skills, which often get overshadowed by the brilliance of Trent Boult, or at times because the limelight is not meant to be centred around the Kiwi players. 

Pat Cummins is the reigning No.1 bowler in the ICC Test rankings. He's an absolute champion, the go-to-man for his side, has the pace, gets the big wickets, is the DUDE among the fast bowlers. But what if I tell you that Tim Southee is catching up with Cummins quickly. At least, the numbers suggest so. Since the start of 2018, Cummins has 128 wickets in 25 Tests at 20 while he strikes every 44.5 deliveries. In comparison, the Kiwi pacer has scalped 99 wickets in 20 games, and has an average of 21.91, while he strikes every 47.3 deliveries. Not a whole lot of difference? That's the thing. 

As much as he wishes to ‘blast out the batsmen with 150 kph pace,’ as mentioned in one of his recent interviews, he accepts what he has and is open to adding up new skill-sets. For instance, working on his in-swinger, that did him the world of good today in dismissing Ollie Pope. As per CricViz, the right-armer was able to swing the ball both ways despite the out-swinger being his stock delivery.

The use of the crease and its various angles, playing around with the seam position, the scrambled seamers, and being able to do all of that with accuracy without erring, is what makes him a truly remarkable bowler and a gentle giant of the game. And these changes are not limited to his words, but they reflect in each of his dismissals, as he keeps on adding the little margins that prove to be the game-changer. For a clever fox like him, it's all in the mind as cricket is nothing but psychological warfare, and he sees it as a Chess master. To sum it up, underestimate this master of the game, at your own peril.