Daren Sammy, the current head coach of the West Indies cricket team, emphasized the escalating dominance of batsmen within the T20 cricket format, notably observable in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) matches where consistently achieving scores exceeding 200 has become commonplace and even breaching the 300 mark appears feasible.
Sammy, who notably captained the West Indies to victory in two T20 World Cup tournaments, anticipates this trend of batting prowess to persist during the forthcoming June spectacle.
He noted the immense pressure placed on bowlers across the board, irrespective of their experience levels, in facing the onslaught of aggressive batting displays.
Sammy, speaking from his engagement in a T20 World Cup trophy tour in Saint Lucia, stressed the critical role that bowlers possessing unconventional skills or actions could play in the upcoming tournament slated for June 1-29.
According to Sammy, the key differentiator would be the inclusion of bowlers endowed with an ‘X-factor’, whether through blistering pace or enigmatic spin, to fortify teams’ arsenals for defending imposing totals or curtailing opponents’ run-scoring.
He underscored the enduring value of sheer pace as a potent weapon, citing past instances where bowlers such as Lasith Malinga had been instrumental in securing victories, regardless of the nature of the playing surface.
Sammy also reminisced about the contributions of bowlers like Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor, and Ravi Rampaul during his tenure as captain, highlighting the significant impact of genuine pace in unsettling batsmen and instilling doubts in their minds.
Consequently, he emphasized the inherent advantage of possessing such firepower in a team’s bowling lineup, irrespective of the prevailing conditions, as a means to counteract the burgeoning dominance of batsmen in T20 cricket.
