NEW DELHI: World cricket is currently dominated by a certain ilk of tweakers — wrist-spinners.
Their brethren — finger spinners — have struggled to find game-time in most formats, especially in the shortest version. But current table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad have shown that if you use them in the proper conditions, they are as equally effective.
Mohammad Nabi has been pivotal in Sunrisers’ last two victories. His six wickets in two games puts him third in the top wicket-taker list. Incidentally, the off-spinner has played only seven times in IPL till date, and all appearances have resulted in wins for his team.
“We have been playing together for the last three years. The combination has been set. I know I might not play all the matches. Whenever I get a chance, I’m always ready to give my 100 per cent,” the Afghan all-rounder said after his team’s victory over Delhi Capitals on Thursday.
The 34-year-old is not a great turner of the ball, but he makes use of his experience to his advantage. While compatriot Rashid Khan usually garners all the headlines, Nabi quietly goes about his job.
When asked about his specialty, he said, “I do not try anything fancy. I just go about my job the way I know how. I use my experience to adjust to the conditions as quickly as possible.”
When the opposition has an abundance of left-handers and the pitch plays slow, Hyderabad usually opt for the offie as opposed to the left-arm spin of Shakib Al Hasan.
Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Nabi picked up three of them — Parthiv Patel, Shimron Hetmyer as well as Shivam Dube — apart from the huge scalp of AB de Villiers. On Thursday, the two dangermen in Capitals’ ranks — Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant — both fell prey to his teasing deliveries.
His suffocating line and length play a huge part in the way Nabi picks up wickets, as is evident from his economy rate of 4 runs per over, the lowest this season. While in IPL, he has usually bowled during the powerplay, for his country’s international matches, Nabi is made use of during the middle overs.
“If everyone runs after wickets, then there is a chance of going home empty-handed. Dot balls are equally important. When playing for Afghanistan, Rashid and Mujeeb (Ur Rahman) usually go after wickets, while I bowl after the first fifteen overs. I try to ensure that the batsmen do not score easy runs, and they usually end up committing errors.”
In today’s times of wrist-spin and mystery spin ruling the roost, how does Nabi manage for both franchise and country? “I try to do the last thing the batsmen want me to do when I’m bowling. Read what the batsman is trying to do, read what the conditions are doing, and then bowl accordingly. Here, the ball was turning. So I tried to turn it less.”