Mohammad Shami explains how he bluffed Morgan with a false field.
PBKS vs KKR: The Punjab Kings (PBKS) speedster Mohammad Shami in the conversation with Mayank Agarwal after the match against KKR opined how he tricked opposing skipper Eoin Morgan with a false field and dismissed him.
Shami played a crucial role in Punjab’s success against KKR last night. The pacer remained economical in his overs by giving away just 23 runs and picked the important wicket of Eoin Morgan.
It all happened in the 16th over of KKR’s inning when Morgan was at the strike and Shami was handed the bowl by his skipper KL Rahul. Knowingly, the pacer asked for a predominantly off-side field to bait the batter and bluff him.
The same happened as thought by the bowler and the fielding side. KKR skipper Morgan, understanding the field positions shuffled towards the off-side to flick the delivery towards on side, however, Shami chipped in an overpitched delivery, as a surprise for the batter, which directly hit the pads of the KKR skipper who was found off-guard by the umpire and was given LBW without any hesitations.
The woeful run for the KKR skipper continued as he went cheaply, scoring meagre 2 runs from as many deliveries. If the last four outings of Morgan are totalled, the Englishmen has amassed just 17 runs.
Elaborating his tactics to dismiss Morgan, Shami after the match told, “In T20s, you need to have a big heart and a strong mind to bluff the batter. And I feel it is a very successful tactic. What happens is that the batsman starts thinking differently, like ‘there is a gap over there and I can hit the ball there’ (which is what happened in Morgan’s case). Bowlers should bluff sometimes.”
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The senior pacer believes more in bowling a full toss at the death rather than half volleys. He was taken for a few runs against Mumbai Indians where he bowled a few half volleys, however, his turnaround against KKR stunned everyone.
“I try to keep my plans simple. On some grounds, the boundary is bigger on one side as compared to the other. The thought process is that it is better to bowl a full toss than a half-volley at the death. That way your chances of being hit for a six are reduced. I give the same advice to the juniors in the team as well. In my mind, I am clear that I have to mix things up and play it smartly,” opined Shami on his thought process while bowling in slog overs in a T20 match.
Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Shami a beautiful pace combo:
The duo of Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Shami is blazing all guns in the Vivo IPL 2021. The two pacers have contributed a lot to the team’s success. Both the seamers bowl difficult overs and have delivered most of the time.
Arshdeep Singh, 22, also remained economical in his four overs. The left-arm seamer picked up three wickets and giving away 32 runs.
“I have always advised him that whatever plans you have for the game, practice the same in the nets accordingly. He has a long way to go so if he can keep his mind clear, then it will be good for him,” said Mohammad Shami to wrap his interview.
With the win, Punjab’s hopes for playoffs are back alive once again. The team is ranked alongside KKR and MI in the race of the final four of the tournament.
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