On Monday night, when Andre Russell lined up to face Mustafizur Rahman in the 18th over, there was no surprise in what was to come. Against a batsman who had already hit 10 sixes this season and has a strike rate of 212.96, that Mustafizur would rely on slower deliveries was a given. Yet, despite the predictability, the left-arm seamer drifted away, conceding just 9 runs in the over.
In the IPL, where two bouncers and an over were supposed to change the game and give the fast bowlers an opportunity, it is these slower deliveries – especially the cutters that hit the pitch – that make it challenging for the batsmen to deliver boundaries.
“The deviations with the older ball in the middle and final overs are very comfortable,” Lakshmipati Balaji, who was bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings in the past, told The Indian Express. “Against lefties, it becomes an attacking pitch because you’re not just taking the pace off the ball, but it’s moving away from their reach. You have more chances to get a wicket. Against righties, this is a very good defensive option. Although it will come in the arc of the stroke, the lack of pace has given the batsman less time to adjust; unless he uses the muscles, the medium is difficult,” Balaji muses.
In that over, Mustafizur delivered seven balls to Russell (one no-ball and one wide) and four of them were on the longer length. And three of them landed outside the off-stump line, forcing him to stretch. The other four were the bowlers who held on after a toss and moved away from a batsman who had already committed to using all his muscles. One delivery from which Russell got his boundary was one that landed partially in the row of stumps.
Apart from Mustafizur, Pat Cummins, Trent Boult, Jaydev Unadkat, Andre Russell, Khaleel Ahmed, Gerald Coetzee have used it to good effect so far. With wide yorkers and slower full-length deliveries that come with their own risk and slower backhand balls harder to execute, shifts in the field have become a delivery of sorts.
“Apart from Mohit (Sharma), nobody bowls deliveries because it is difficult to execute. Someone like Pat Cummins, who regularly bowls over 140km/h, can knock off-cutters without changing the action. In the final of the world championship, he very successfully used them. With knives, since you use the wrists, you also get good control,” Balaji explained.
And more importantly, it is the taller fast bowlers who make full use of these blades. For example, CSK have relied on wide slower deliveries that are of a longer length, giving the pacers protection with fielders at deep cover. Although Dwayne Bravo, a lethal specialist and master of slower deliveries, is their bowling coach, there is a reason why, apart from Mustafizur, others have not wielded the knives.
“We’ve seen a lot of pace getting the ball into the goal early in the tournament, which is pretty early. And one of the things we found was that they were all tall bowlers. Take Delhi for example, they kind of hit the wicket at a certain length and it’s more effective than maybe our guys who have to do it differently because they’re not the same height. We can apply the same to Pat Cummins and SRH attack…they are tall. But it is crucial to have a slower ball to get the opposition talking. The main thing is to get into their heads,” said Simmons, the CSK assistant coach and bowling coach of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning team.
From a batting perspective, these off-cutters were a challenge. While fuller slow deliveries could at least hit straight if picked early, batsmen find bowlers more difficult. Although they have more time to react, the lack of speed, especially after the toss, means that the batsmen’s range is shortened. Grabs and back-grabs are neutralized, as are V-shots.
“When you’re a power hitter, everybody likes the pace of the bat. Each dimension and condition will determine what a bowler will deliver. Slower bounce helps and when you have big lateral boundaries, that off-the-ball, in-field pace helps. It’s not something everyone can play, only the higher ups use it. These slower balls create doubts in the minds of the batsmen,” said Abhishek Nayar, KKR’s assistant coach.
However, Balaji has the last word. “Look, in T20 no delivery is a safe option as the batsmen invariably find a way out. Even with knives, powerful punches can easily knock them out for six. The key is in his deception.
