Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Mustafizur Rahman is likely to be available for the Indian Premier League clash against Kolkata Knight Riders at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Mustafizur missed the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as he had travelled to Bangladesh for a visa process, but is reportedly returning to Chennai ahead of Monday’s game. “Regarding Fizz (Mustafizur), we’re still not sure yet. His getting back here is not really in our hands as he’s flown back to Bangladesh for his passport. So, let’s see what happens. But as a team, we have to prepare for these eventualities,” CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons said during the pre-match press conference.
A bowling pattern has emerged in the ongoing IPL with bowlers taking the pace off the ball while using short balls to make it harder for the batters to get the timing right.
Case in point: the 13th over in the game against SRH, where Jaydev Unadkat bowled a slower bouncer to Shivam Dube, who had to wait for a solid second or two to hit it towards long off.
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CSK solely missed the services of Mustafizur, who’s known for his cutters and slower ones. “It’s about seeing the conditions and understanding what the opposition intends on doing. What I’ve certainly been watching about batsmen is how much longer they have been waiting. Jos Buttler last night (against RCB) was waiting on the ball and hitting it,” Simons opined. “A lot of the guys have obviously worked on how to hit the slower balls and not just commit early. And that is key, whatever the length is.”
Despite both the games in Chennai being fairly high-scoring affairs, the pitch at the Chepauk tends to be on the slower side. That, coupled with the fact that Mukesh Choudhary is still finding his feet after returning from a long injury layoff, could make Chennai’s bowling attack a little fragile against KKR.
Meanwhile, Matheesha Pathirana’s availability is still under a cloud of uncertainty. The Sri Lankan speedster missed the game against SRH because of a niggle. Simons, though, was quick to clarify that the bench the pacer was precautionary and said that his availability is up to the physio’s discretion.
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Chennai Super Kings Player Matheesha Pathirana during the practice session ahead match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Ragu R / The Hindu
“Regarding Pathirana, yes, it’s a long tournament. We wanted to be conservative with the decision surrounding him. So, whether he’ll play in the next match is up to the physios to decide.
“Our only concern is that it’s a long tournament. We just want to make sure that we don’t risk four games to make sure he plays one. So our decisions are based on that. But he’s coming along very nicely.” Simons said.
Pathirana, who has a similar slinging action to that of Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga, is under a constant threat of injury because of his lower angle of release, which puts extra pressure on his lower back.
However, Pathirana’s return to the playing 11 might be closer than expected, as he was seen practicing at the nets on Sunday.
CSK, which has had an inconsistent start to the season, would like both of its frontline pacers back into the mix as soon as possible.
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