Calcutta: Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach and former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak feels the West Indians have got “bored” playing Test cricket and that has led to their proliferation in the T20 leagues across the world.
Be it Chris Gayle, Andre Russell or Sunil Narine, West Indies cricketers have been in big demand. The likes of Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings), and Kieron Pollard and Evin Lewis (both Mumbai Indians) also form the core of their respective franchises in the IPL.
“Firstly, I think they enjoy it. They get bored playing the longer format of the game… A lot of them are playing in leagues around the world… Look at guys like Andre and Sunil from our team and others in the tournament, like Pollard,” Streak said.
“You are getting to a stage where guys are making a career solely out of playing T20 cricket. They play in PSL (Pakistan), CPL (Caribbean), BBL (Australia), IPL.
“They’ve got physical attributes, the power. The guys like Pollard, Russell are physically strong, as even their mis-hits go over the boundary,” Streak said.
Streak felt variation of slow balls have become the flavour of this IPL. “Players have developed the ramp shots and stuff like reverse ramp. It has challenged the bowlers.
“You have seen that the different varieties of slower balls have become the flavour of the tournament,” Streak said.
“It’s not just the good old off-cutters and the ones that come from the back of the hand. We have seen the knuckle balls and its variation. Most batsmen are now so good strikers that if you miss a yorker and it’s a half volley or a low full toss, it generally goes to the boundary. That’s why the wide yorkers.
“There are not many players who can consistently hit fours and sixes over the off-side field. That’s why you see a lot many wide yorkers being implemented.”
Streak also hailed the U-19 World Cup winning duo of Shivam Mavi and Shubman Gill. “They definitely are right from the Virat Kohli school of fielding... In last year’s KKR, I think the fielding wasn’t one of their strengths.
“I think we are definitely one of the top fielding sides this time with the youngsters coming in. That’s also a welcome aspect of KKR’s game that these guys have brought.
“I think at KKR, we have been in a very good family environment… It allows people to express themselves and it is much easier to perform if you are comfortable in an environment. If there’s a lot of weight, a lot of expectations as a result of which you are not feeling good, it becomes difficult.
“People make a concerted effort especially with the guys like Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Kuldeep Yadav… They are all very welcoming, go out of their way to make the new guys comfortable and feel at home.
“It is not just about the big names, it is about everyone because everyone plays a part. Hopefully, you will see them coming more and more out of their shells,” Streak remarked.
