SHARJAH: Maratha Arabians captain Dwayne Bravo and Sindhis skipper Shane Watson has shown how crucial it is bring on the right bowler at the right time.
Bravo, through his brilliant captaincy, had restricted Rajputs to a paltry total of 63 for 7 and ensured a ten wicket win for his team. Sindhis’ inspiring captain Watson, despite his team being restricted to 91 for 6, almost pulled off a victory over the strong Northern Warriors team but lost the match to the last ball by one wicket. The two matches on Tuesday showed how bowlers should be used correctly.
Speaking to Gulf News on how to win matches in T10 through bowlers, Bravo said: “As a captain one has to know when to make the bowling change and who to bring on and when to bring him on.”
So is captaincy a tough job in T10 League? “I won’t say it is a difficult job because the basics of the game remains the same. If you know the strengths of the players it becomes easier for the leader,” added Bravo.
So how does a winning captain have to use his bowlers in T10? “In this format, there is no comfort for the bowlers. As a captain, you need to keep encouraging your bowlers to be brave and back their skills because the margin for error is very slim. This format is basically a batsman friendly format and you play in a venue that is also very small where even a mis-hit can go for a six. So it is important to keep encouraging your bowlers and back them and have trust in them.”
In fact, after Sindhis were restricted to 91 for 6, their captain Watson did exactly the same against the mighty batting line up of the Northern Warriors. It was the match that the fans were waiting for since the second edition began. None expected the match would turn into a thriller after Sindhis were restricted to 91 for six in 10 overs.
If not for Watson, who cracked 50 runs off 28 balls with five boundaries and a three sixes, his team would have been restricted to a much smaller total. Warriors’ aggressive openers Lendl Simmons and inform Nicholas Pooran put on 19 runs when Jofra Archer removed Simmons for 14. Watson gave the ball to Ben Cutting and he took the wickets of Pooran and Andre Russell. When Archer was reintroduced, he removed captain Darren Sammy too. Off the last ball, Hardus Viljoen and Harry Gurney took a risky single and won the match.
Brief scores:
Northern Warriors bt Sindhis by one wicket. Sindhis 91 for 6 in 10 overs (Shane Watson 50 Andre Russell 2 for 22, Harry Gurney 2 for 20, Hardus Viljoen 2 for 15) Northern Warriors 92 for 9 in 10 overs (Jofra Archer 2 for 14, Isuru Udana 2 for 19, Ben Cutting 2 for 17).
