One bowler needs to take responsibility

Anil Kumble

Bangladesh might have got blown away by Pakistan in the one match of the tournament that did not matter that much, with the finalists already decided, but that's an aberration in a tournament where the pitches have been flat all along. I expect the pitch to be flat in the final as well, and at the risk of repeating myself this makes it extremely hard work for the bowlers.

The thing is, the boundaries get shortened irrespective of the nature of the pitch and the batsmen can then go at the ball fearlessly, knowing that even a mis-hit will clear the ropes. All that the bowlers can do is vary their pace and angles and keep the batsmen guessing. Bowlers have to be assigned clear roles and if someone's job is to take wickets then the captain needs to back him even if he goes for runs. On these pitches you can't succeed if all five bowlers are just looking to restrict the batsmen. You have to find a couple of bowlers who can pick up wickets. In times like this strategy becomes very important, because taking wickets is the only way to keep the run-rate down.

You can't bowl in set patterns and I think the spinners definitely have a role to play even when the field restrictions are on. These challenges sometimes get the best out of a spinner. When a fast bowler is bowling the men in the deep, usually fine-leg and third-man, are in a defensive role, saving runs. But if a spinner is bowling, and you have long-on and square-leg out, then they also become catching positions.

The other thing the spinner must do when bowling with the field restrictions on is resist the temptation to experiment. Sometimes when you bowl three dot balls you begin to think that the batsman is going to take a chance and come down the wicket and by anticipating this you end up bowling short. In my experience it's best to postpone this thought, and do what has worked for you. If the batsman comes down the pitch then automatically there's something in the computer in your head that makes you shorten the length. It's best not to get too far ahead of the game and just stick to what's working.

You have to identify a couple of bowlers up front who can take wickets and then another one in the middle overs whose role is mainly to pick up wickets. To this end the fielding has to back things up, and moreso in a final. The fielders in the circle have to be in positions where they save the single because it is wickets and dot balls that will build the pressure.

In this tournament captains have backed their batsmen to go out and there and score more than the opposition because even making six runs an over has not been difficult. When batting first you have to score at more than six. Even when India lost four wickets fairly early against Pakistan, we managed to get past 300, so that shows that scoring quickly has been possible.
In the final it will be important for teams to hold their nerve and to that India are in a good position. The disappointment of the Kitply Cup notwithstanding, this Indian team has tasted success in finals over the last year and are equipped to handle the situations that might be thrown at them in a big match. With some strong results in the last year I think this team has the upper hand because they have the belief that they can get out of any situation that they might be in.

For Sri Lanka the key will be Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene at the top of the order and I'm sure India's discussions will revolve around how to ensure these players don't have a big impact. We'll have get two of these three cheaply and not give too many to the other guy. They're all class players and this is asking a lot of the bowlers, but that will hold the key to the final.

The two best teams in this tournament have made it to the final and I think it's going to take a bowler to stand up and win the game for his side. The batsmen have been scoring at will, and one bowler – it might be a fast bowler, or a spinner, or even a part-timer who chips in – needs to take responsibility and pull the game back for his side. If one of our bowlers does that, we will come out on top.

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