Mohammed Shami of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) believes that bluffing a batter in T20Is can be a valuable weapon in a bowler’s arsenal if done correctly.
During match 45 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in Dubai, Shami fooled Eoin Morgan into playing a fake stroke. Shami set a primarily off-side field in the 16th over of KKR’s innings, inviting the KKR captain to utilize the vacant area on the on-side.
Morgan took the bait and moved to the far side of the field to deliver a delivery behind the square. Shami, on the other hand, sneaked in an overpitched delivery around the leg stumps that landed right in front of Morgan’s stumps. The KKR captain’s poor run with the bat continued as he was dismissed for 2 runs.
Mayank Agarwal
Following PBKS’ five-wicket triumph in the match, Shami and opener Mayank Agarwal had a discussion about the game. Agarwal asked Shami to detail how he prepared Morgan’s wicket throughout the meeting.
“In T20s, you need to have a big heart and a strong mind to bluff the batter. And I feel it is a very successful tactic. What happens is that the batsman starts thinking differently, like ‘there is a gap over there and I can hit the ball there’ (which is what happened in Morgan’s case). Bowlers should bluff sometimes,” Shami opined
However, As KKR was reduced to 165 for 7. Then the senior PBKS pacer finished with frugal figures of 1 for 23 from his four overs. With three balls to spare, PBKS chased down the target.
However, Shami went for a few against Mumbai Indians (MI), but he bounced back against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The 31-year-old was outstanding towards the end of the innings, conceding only seven runs in the penultimate over.
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