‘Williamson’s use of bowlers driving us’

NEWDELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad owe a lot to their bowlers for becoming the first team to march into the IPL playoffs. Defending low totals on a consistent basis has become the forte of the Kane Williamson-led side.

Yusuf Pathan, senior batsman of the side, says Williamson’s intelligent leadership is the reason behind the success of bowlers like Siddarth Kaul, Rashid Khan and Sandeep Sharma.

“Kane is a calm person and that has helped us all. His presence ensures things don’t go haywire even under pressure. He has good knowledge of using bowlers in different situations and rotating them when needed,” Pathan said on the sidelines of the launch of ‘Cricket Academy of Pathans’ in New Delhi.

The 2016 IPL champions SRH have defended totals like 118, 132, 146 and 151 this season to be placed at the top of the IPL table with 18 points. SRH have also consistently grabbed 4-5 wickets between the fifth and 16th overs and have the lowest economy rate -- 7.50 – in the last five overs.

“If we keep playing this way, there is no reason we can’t go the distance. We have got some difficult wickets and the batsmen should be given equal credit for helping the team reach defendable targets in tough conditions,” said Pathan, who has earlier won the IPL with Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders.

From the SRH team, Kaul has made it to India’s ODI and T20 squads for Ireland and England tour. Chennai Super Kings’ Ambati Rayudu has also made a comeback to the national team after a stellar show with the bat this IPL. “A lot many players have got noticed because of IPL. Your temperament matures when you play with international stars. You are able to handle pressure in a better way. Be it a batsman or a bowler, playing consistently here matures you a lot,” Pathan concluded.