Mohammed Shami looked shattered after completing his four overs for Delhi Daredevils against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday night.
The pace ace hasn’t had a successful outing in the season so far; when many were hoping to see Shami bounce back in his ‘home turf’ — the Eden Gardens — his figures looked shabby. In four overs, he conceded 53 runs — an economy rate of 13.25.
Daredevils’ bowling coach Sridharan Sriram admitted it was time for Shami to “come up with some sort of strategy” while bowling. Speaking after the 71-run defeat of his side , Sriram said, “Shami needs to come up with some sort of strategy. He started well; the first couple of catches were good. But then, there was a dropped catch. Had that worked [out], it would have been a different day for him.”
Having played cricket at the highest level and having coached the Australian team, Sriram understands these blips are part of the game. “That’s what sports is all about. Then, he got in the wrong side of Russell, and if that happens you need to think quickly. He just lost the plot quickly,” the bowling coach stated.
Total above par
With the strike bowlers failing to make a mark, Daredevils completely surrendered in front of a batting blitzkrieg by Andre Russell. Sriram felt Russell’s knock of 41 (off 12 balls) made the difference in the contest. “The way they got 200 was a bit too much. 170-180 was about a par score. The Russell blitzkrieg in the middle took the game away. When it is in that sort of flow, it is difficult to stop him. We did all sorts of planning but the execution was not right,” Sriram said.
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Sriram felt Russell’s knock had more impact than Nitish Rana’s half-century. “Had Russell got out early, we could have stopped them for 160. That dropped catch by Jason Roy was crucial. Had he been gone, Rana would not have been that dangerous in the end,” he said.
The impact could have been mitigated had Shami not been blown off his radar. In the Indian Premier League, where teams don’t hesitate in sidelining top players if the need arises, Shami will have to pull up his socks.
