We have to do our homework: Shadley
USA bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk said it is imperative for Associate nation cricketers to do their homework, adding that his side surprised India with their field placements in the T20 World Cup opener here. Van Schalkwyk returned figures of 4-0-25-4, with his three-wicket burst in the sixth over leaving India reeling at 46 for four at the end of the powerplay.
“As associate cricketers, which everyone refers to, we pride ourselves on being good cricketers, firstly. So we do our homework. We have to ... Because not often do we get to play on the biggest stage. It’s critical for us to do our homework very well for teams that we play against. We also trust the plans,” he told reporters after the match.
“We’ve got guys that have played here before. We’ve got guys that are sitting behind the computer, that tells us the stats and tells us where to bowl and we trust that plan. We go out and we practice and we try to execute as best as we can. It was fortunate that today was my day.” Van Schalkwyk, the USA bowler of South African origin, said it is also important not to over-plan against the opponents.
“If you over-plan, you tend to think that players are a lot better than they are. So I think all the players here are incredible, firstly. But I think over-planning can become something that makes you a little bit more too nervous,” he said. “We’ve seen enough on TV that we know what players like to do. We had our plans and executed quite nicely. The different fields we set, I don’t think a lot of guys are used to that.
“Personally, I like watching videos and it goes unmoved. We’ve seen a lot of guys at IPL, everything, playing a lot of cricket. So for us, it’s just relying on the knowledge that you have and fortunately, I’m 37 years old, so I’ve seen quite a bit of cricket. So for me, it’s just trusting my plan and my preparation.”
Van Schalkwyk’s effort was indeed commendable but India were rescued by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who struck 10 fours and four sixes to make 84 not out off 49 balls and power India to 161/9. Suryakumar’s late onslaught saw 21 runs coming off the final over of Saurabh Netravalkar — one of the three USA cricketers from Mumbai — who eventually returned 4-0-65-0.
“The last over, that’s going to happen in these games, especially with (the boundaries being) a little bit of a shorter side,” Schalkwyk said. “Saurabh has been unbelievable for us and he’s still an absolute gentleman.” He said USA fancied their chances with the bat even as the momentum swung India’s way at the halfway mark.
“Any side at the half point will, if you keep India for 170. We’ll definitely say a (we had) chance because we’re a good side. But you have to give it to Sky and he’s played unbelievably knock there and you have to give credit where it’s due — that was the batting difference, definitely,” he said. Schalkwyk said while USA bowlers stuck to their plans, they lost too many wickets for their liking in the powerplay.
“Everyone stuck to what they can. The plans came off quite well. Losing a few wickets in the powerplay always puts you on the back foot. But Sanjay (Krishnamurthi) and Milind (Kumar) actually batted well through the middle to get us sort of going there,” he said. “From then, their spinners bowled well. They knew the pace of the wicket immediately from what we did and that’s credit to them.”
