The T10 format is known for all the fours and sixes that batsmen shower in every match at the cost of bowlers.
So what should a bowler do if the opposition batsman is ready to send the ball darting past the boundary line? What if the batsman is a Chris Gayle or a Kieron Pollard?
For Northern Warriors’ dazzling pacer Wayne Parnell, it’s all about trusting the training you have done and outthinking the batsmen.
“You have to trust the preparation. Think on your feet and stay one step ahead of the batsmen,” South African cricketer Parnell told The Abu Dhabi T10.
Sounds too easy, right? It is, according to Wayne Parnell.
The 31-year-old believes it’s easier to think ahead of the batsmen in T10 cricket because they are most likely to go for a big hit. It’s what the shortest format demands.
“In T20 cricket you kind of don’t know where the batters are going to play for the first six overs but here you know it from ball one. Batsmen might have a look in the first one or two balls but after that, the boys are going to go hard.”
And if the bowler already knows what the batsman’s next move will be, he already has an advantage, reckons Wayne Parnell.
“It is definitely difficult as a bowler but you are expecting it (a big hit) from the first ball. So you adapt and be smart,” he said.
The all-rounder has been outsmarting batsmen across formats, having snared 209 wickets in T20s and 94 in One-Day Internationals. He has plied his trade in England, India and West Indies and was also part of the second edition of the T10 tournament, where the southpaw struck a 24-ball 59 with the bat in one of the group stage matches.
Wayne Parnell will be aiming to trump the batsmen when he dons the Northern Warriors’ jersey in 2020 ADT10, and help his team reach the summit and become the first team to win the T10 title twice after the triumphant 2018 season.
The Northern Warriors will play the tournament opener against the defending champions Maratha Arabians at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
