Bowlers must innovate to survive T20 era: Shane Bond

Former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond believes bowlers must evolve and innovate to keep pace with increasingly “ultra-aggressive” batting in T20 cricket, saying those who successfully expand their skillsets can potentially become “superstars” in the format.

Rajasthan Royals’ struggles with the ball this season continued on Saturday as they conceded 229 against Gujarat Titans in a crushing 77-run defeat. It marked the seventh time in 11 matches that the Royals have allowed opponents to cross the 200-run mark.

Bond, the Royals’ bowling coach, admitted his side has failed to adapt well enough to familiar conditions.

“We just haven’t played well enough in conditions that we know. We’ve been outplayed by our opposition. I look at bowlers, they just have to be better, right? You’ve got to think a bit outside the box,” Bond said at the post-match press conference. “There’s two things: decision-making and execution. I think tonight, you would have probably noticed that execution just wasn’t consistent enough for long enough. And I think if you look across the board in the IPL, that’s just been the case.”  With batting standards and scoring rates continuing to rise in the IPL, Bond said bowlers need to rethink their methods and become far more adaptable. “The batsmen, they’re coming out, they’re playing ultra-aggressive, and putting pressure on bowlers. So as a bowler, you’ve got to ask, well, ‘what can I do differently?’”  “They have got to spend more time with the analysts knowing exactly where each batsman’s going to... the zones they’re going to score at. I may have to bowl off a shorter run and a longer run. I’ve got to be able to come around the wicket and bowl on both sides.”

In the ongoing season of the IPL, teams have been chasing 200-plus targets with relative ease.

“When you see the bowlers are doing the same thing, game after game after game after game, getting the same result, then my question would be: you’ve got to be doing something different and developing your game.” Bond pointed out how batters have expanded their scoring arsenal, forcing bowlers to evolve at a similar rate. “You look at batsmen now, they’re playing the uppercut, they’re reversing, they’re scooping. They’ve developed a range of shots.

“So a bowler has to develop their range of skills as well. I think it’s a great opportunity for any bowler to go: ‘if I can do that, then I can elevate myself into, you know, a lot of money and be a superstar’. I just don’t think you’ve consistently seen that across the board.”