When we talk T20 cricket, we often just speak about how the batsman have the license to go for the big shots. And while T20 is indeed a batsman’s game, we tend to disregard the impact a good bowler can have on the game.
But what does it take for a bowler to good in T20 cricket too?
While the batsmen are ready to take on the bowlers at every given opportunity, should the bowlers adopt a defensive strategy or should they fight fire with fire?
Australian cricket legend Shane Warne was a master of strategy. He would often call out the batsmen and playing mind games was his forte.
In the short video below, he succinctly explains the difference between bowling in Test cricket and T20s. It may not seem like much but it is the subtle change in mindset that makes the difference.
In Test cricket, bowlers cleverly use the field settings to ramp up the pressure on the batsmen or to even force them to play a particular kind of shot while looking to stay consistent with their bowling.
In T20s, on the other hand, with skippers choosing to employ defensive fields, the onus is on the bowler to make things happen. That is when we see so many mystery bowlers in the format or even regular bowlers bringing all their variations into play.
Watch Warne’s explanation below:
I just can’t get enough of this beautiful explanation from @shanewarne.
— Rav Man (@rav_man0) September 14, 2020
T20: “you attack with the ball; you defend with the field”.
Test: “you defend with the ball, & you attack with the field”.
Also want to try the embed feature from a large 🟦✔️ acc!pic.twitter.com/Ootfz7NTG0