Jordan’s hot property after passage to India
CHRIS JORDAN’S trip to the Indian Premier League was, in many ways, a step into the unknown.
Now, after establishing himself as one of the stars of a Royal Challengers Bangalore side that upset the odds to make it to the IPL final, he’s returning home as one of hottest properties in cricket’s shortest format.
Jordan earned his spot in cricket’s most lucrative tournament after an injury to Mitchell Starc – in a short stint, though, the England man has made a long-term imprint.
Missing out on the first two Tests of the English summer has been a small price to pay for a bowler who has so far enjoyed an outstanding year.
The only thing that’s missing is a winner’s medal, with Jordan having finished as a runner-up for England in the T20 World Cup in India and for Bangalore in the IPL, following their narrow defeat to the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
Jordan took 3-45 in the final to take his IPL wicket tally to 11 – a figure which included a potentially career altering 4-11 against the Gujarat Lions in the tournament’s group stages.
Up to that point, the Sussex man had struggled to make much of an impression, after it he was a man transformed.
Trent Woodhill, a member of the RCB coaching staff alongside the likes of Daniel Vettori and Allan Donald, has seen plenty of Jordan in the past month. And he told The Cricket Paper that Jordan has now truly established himself as the complete package in T20 cricket.
“First and foremost it’s his personality that impressed everyone,” said Woodhill. “It takes a special kind of person to come into a team halfway through any tournament. We were two wins and five defeats when he arrived and we won six of our next seven when he played. It was his infectious enthusiasm and attitude that really gave the team a boost.
“He handled success and failure with the same face and that was really important to our group. He got involved. He got involved with the Indians, he got involved with the overseas players, the coaching staff. He asked a lot of questions but he provided a lot of answers, too. He was a really excellent find for us.”
Jordan was hardly walking into the easiest of dressing rooms, with Vettori’s side boasting the huge personalities such as Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Shane Watson and AB de Villiers. Jordan, though, clearly thrived in such company, as he did at the T20 World Cup, when he demonstrated his ability to bowl at the death time and again as England made it to the final.
“I think he took what he learned at the World Cup and brought that into the IPL,” said Woodhill.
“Bowling at the end of a T20 match in India is the most difficult job in the most difficult place in the world to do it. It’s tough. Once he found his feet he backed his instinct and he also backed his plans. When he didn’t execute and got hit he still went back to his main balls, which is obviously the yorker, the wide yorker or the slower ball.
“He’s completely confident in his ability and I think his performances in the World Cup have given him that. That was important because in T20, particularly in the IPL, it’s how you react to being hit and how you come back. Chris always came back and he always came back strong.”
Having been such a hit – and with an invite to the Big Bash and next year’s IPL likely to follow – Jordan’s confidence will be sky high on his return to England.
Although the Second Division of the County Championship will seem a world away from the razzmatazz and drama of the IPL, Jordan will now be looking to bring his short-format form into the four-day game in order to push for a place in England’s Test side with the series against Pakistan looming.
His excellence on the Sub-continent won’t have gone unnoticed by Trevor Bayliss or Alastair Cook either, with tough winter assignments in Asia in the offing.
He can also count on a glowing reference from England one-day and T20 skipper, Eoin Morgan, who was watching on from the sidelines for the Sunrisers on Sunday.
“Chris has played in an IPL final, which is a huge thing for any cricketer,” said Woodhill. “He fielded superbly, he didn’t really get a chance with the bat, but he has proved himself against some exceptional players in their home conditions.
“He came out with his head held high and his stock has definitely been raised.
“He has also learned from playing with some of the best batsman in the world because they’re the ones telling you what they’re always looking to do in T20 cricket. That’s a huge advantage for a bowler.”
England could benefit from his newly acquired expertise, too.