Stokes & Co confirming value of top order titans
Chetan Narula explains how, even in T20, the batsmen with a chance to play themselves in must then cash in...
David Warner, Ben Stokes, Hashim Amla and Sanju Samson. What is the common link between these four cricketers?
Well, the answer is two-fold. One, they are all centurions in this 2017 edition of the IPL. But this could have been an easy guess, especially given the belligerence of the former two.
The second point herein is not as simple. Samson (Delhi Daredevils), Amla (Kings XI Punjab) and Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad) open the innings for their respective franchises. Stokes (Rising Pune Supergiant) mostly bats at No.5 for his team, but on that day against Gujarat Lions, he was at the crease as early as the tenth ball of the innings. He blasted his maiden IPL hundred off 61 balls as Pune chased down 162 from a precarious 10-3.
Ten balls is a long passage of play in T20 cricket. But when your top-order has been blown away for close to nothing on the board, it allows the incoming batsmen to take their time and settle down.
Stokes did the same, well at least for the first 13 balls faced before he hit a first of six sixes on the night.
The underlying point is his ability to soak up that pressure, batting out time as well as soaking up the runs in the chase simultaneously. Not many can do this in world cricket at present. That is why Stokes was worth every penny of the whopping $2.16m Pune spent to get him.
Skipper Steve Smith, after that comefrom-behind victory over Gujarat, said: “I had told the owners before the auction, ‘just do what you have to to get him’. All-rounders are so valuable in T20 cricket, and he bats, bowls and fields well. He’s a perfect fit for our team, particularly after Mitchell Marsh was ruled out.
“Stokes always said from the start that he judges himself on how he plays.
He’s not going to put any extra pressure on himself just because he has a big price tag next to his name.
“That was an amazing innings, and he earned his money that night.”
This was Stokes’ third man-of-thematch performance this season and, on each occasion, Pune have won. Mind you, it is not just about batting alone, as Smith pointed out. He took 3-18 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Then, he scored 17 off 12, took 2-21 and held a catch as well as affected a run-out in the death overs against Mumbai Indians.
Over the years, IPL franchises have paid similarly vast sums for different players. Delhi Daredevils paid $2.67m in 2015 and Royal Challengers paid $2.33m in 2014 for Yuvraj Singh, but he failed to fire for either franchise.
In comparison to English cricketers, Stokes had surpassed Kevin Pietersen (Delhi Daredevils paid $1.55m in 2014) and Andrew Flintoff (Chennai Super Kings paid $1.55m in 2009).
When you spend such humongous amounts, you expect to see quantifiable impact on the field. Both Pietersen and Flintoff failed in this regard, the latter more spectacularly thanks to his poor fitness.
It underlines Stokes’ significance to Pune’s fortunes already – those three wins have put them in with a handsome chance to qualify for the play-offs, especially after winning only one of their first four matches.
Only one other centurion can boast of making an equal (or perhaps a bit greater) impact for his side.
In sharp contrast to his return from the India-Australia Test series (193 runs at 24.12), Warner is now leading the race for the Orange Cap (highest run-scorer in the tournament), almost as if releasing pent up steam from that poor run. Of course, the difference in format helps for the pitches are batting beauties. As does the fact that Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja aren’t bowling at him off the bowlers’ footmarks.
An improvement in form has helped focus his energy as captain, too. Sunrisers Hyderabad are flying high currently, albeit not as high as tabletoppers Mumbai Indians or Kolkata Knight Riders. The defending champions, though, are placed fourth comfortably. More importantly, they are not reliant on Warner alone for their winning momentum.
Inspired by their skipper, Shikhar Dhawan (369 runs in 10 matches), Yuvraj Singh (187 runs in 9 matches), Kane Williamson (228 runs in 5 matches), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (21 wickets in 10 matches) and Rashid Khan (12 wickets in 10 matches) have made their presence felt.
Herein, the point of difference between the four centurions takes another turn. Unlike both Warner and Stokes, Amla and Samson aren’t your quintessential T20 batsmen.
There is greater finesse about their strokeplay, and timing is a key factor – they are classical in that sense. Unlike Warner and Stokes, the experienced Amla and the young Samson, both, are makeshift yet steady openers in this tournament where batting orders change each day.
Amla, talking about his experiences opening the innings here in IPL, said: “T20 cricket has been evolving a lot over the years, and now every format borrows from it, irrespective of conditions.
“I wouldn’t say my strokeplay is classical or not suited to the shortest format. It is just about finding that small adjustment in your game.
“The batting spot is a more vital aspect for batsmen like me, if I can put it that way. Surely, batting in the top three helps. There are only 20 overs, but you can take a bit of time and get a start. Playing against the new ball also helps, especially on slower wickets here in India.”
It is not to say that the four centurions are locked in battle, at least not directly. Hyderabad and Pune are almost in the clear for play-offs. Amla’s Kings XI still have a fighting chance, while Samson’s Daredevils were facing the prospect of losing everything with even a single defeat in their last five games.
Yet, if they – especially the latter two – can replicate their hundreds in the coming matches, it will go a long way in spicing up the final two weeks of this IPL’s league stage.