CrimsonAvenger wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:08 am
Yeah, I wouldn't say the SL pace battery has specially improved. Lakmal on song can be unplayable, but he he still has his off days. I would love to follow the fortunes of Chammeera. He has such a free-flowing and watchable bowling action. Hope injuries don't rob us of such an exciting talent. Other than that, it is nothing to talk about.
Chameera and Kumara both have a lot of pace. 90 mph bowlers both. Kumara took a 6-fer in SA, but I saw him bowling vs BD and he was very ordinary. But SC conditions can often do that. Still very young just 19 or 20 yo. Chameera though has the height and pace. I actually like Lakmal's action better, but Chameera has an action reminiscent of Michael Holding IMO.
That being said, Chameera's ODI stats are very ordinary. I still think SL probably needs to persist with him due to his genuine pace.
But IMO, the ODI game as it is now played is all about who does the best in the middle overs. The first 10 overs are least important in my view. If you start off like PAK did the other day 9 for 3 from 10, yes that will kill the game. On the other hand racing to 80-0 in the first 10 will also set the game up. But everything in between is pretty inconsequential. The middle 30 overs are the main part of the game. Batters need to rotate strike and look to get boundaries when they can. Fielding sides need to stop every run they can and the bowlers have to find ways of picking regular wickets. Hasan Ali got #8 Pakistan to win the Champions Trophy with just that.
This tournament will be the same. Mustafiz came in and just dried up the runs. Beat Raza's bat about 20 times. Another day he might pick 6 or 7 wickets with less menacing bowling.
The final 10 overs will offer a chance for teams to change momentum. A 300 total can be restricted to 270 and vice versa. It is the second most important phase of the innings nowadays.