Shane Bond hails Lasith Malinga as the best T20 bowler he has seen
Former New Zealand fast bowler and current Mumbai Indians bowling coached heaped praise on his team’s frontline bowler Lasith Malinga by hailing him as the world’s best T20 bowler. Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Bond spoke on various subjects, and here are some excerpts:
The world’s best T20 bowler:
“There is no doubt that Lasith Malinga is right up there. He is probably the best recognised one. Having played against Mali a lot, we always knew that if we had to get ten runs off the last over when he was bowling, it would be a challenge. Against most bowlers around the world you would back yourself to get those ten runs. Dale Steyn is a great bowler across all formats in terms of his skills and experience.”
On MI’s plan against Gayle at Bangalore:
We had the advantage of batting first on that surface. Their most successful bowler was David Wiese, who just took the pace off the ball, and it was difficult to bat against him. So we felt that if we tried to mirror what he did, it might make life difficult at the top, particularly against Chris. Mali has a great slower ball and he executed them very successfully in the first six overs. It did not quite reach the level at the back end of the innings, but it certainly worked and probably was the difference in the match in those first six overs.
On what older guys offer in T20:
You need to have that level of experience where you have calmness under pressure. Mali brings his thoughts to the table, his experience, gives confidence to the youngsters. They can help me in my role as a bowling coach because they all offer a different perspective. They set an example for the rest of the group to follow in terms of the way they train. The way Mali goes about his business to get himself fit for matches is a very good example for the younger guys. It is a game where you are always under pressure, and that is the difference, probably, between experienced bowlers and youngsters. The experienced bowlers will know what to do, they know the fields they can set and bowl to and they just get on and do it. That takes pressure off the rest of the group. Take Malinga, who has been with one franchise for the whole time. He knows the players, he knows the way they bowl, and then he can offer his advice in terms of field settings and such stuff. When you are under pressure and under the pump you need that clarity from your senior bowlers.