Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden shared his opinion about the strike rate conundrum of the elite top-order batters in the Indian Premier League. Since the start of IPL 2023, the Strike rate and the intent to score run in the middle over have been a hot topic of discussion in the league.
As experienced players like David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul take some time to settle down the middle before taking down the bowlers for big shots, their strike rate remains a concern for the team management.
Many experts criticized their batting approach in the innings, which affects their teams to post big totals despite having a good start in the powerplay. Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Matthew Hayden, who is known for the aggressive brand of cricket, shared his opinion about the strike rate of the players.
“Both David Warner had Delhi Capitals have had a struggling start to the new season. A lot of wickets have been tumbling around him. The Delhi Capitals side has not been together with the bat,” Matthew Hayden said.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have the finest opening pair in the IPL 2023, as their openers are playing a vital role in building the innings for their side, citing the example of Faf-du Plessis’s led-side, Hayden feels it important to follow the same template they have implemented in the tournament, as that given them the success in the league.
“Virat Kohli is an interesting scenario. He is performing nicely in this IPL. He has got a wingman in Faf du Plessis who is striking the ball beautifully. When you look at RCB and the way they have gone about their business in the top 6, the opening partnership has been central to their runs. Hard to criticize that but the strike rate is still something that needs to be looked at,” he said.
Earlier, former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull slammed Virat Kohli for his slow knock as he took 10 balls to move from 42 to 50 runs with 10 wickets in his hands during their match with Lucknow Super Giants.
It’s Real Conundrum As How Former Cricketers And Commentator… – Matthew Hayden
Cricketer-turned-commentator Matthew Hayden believes it tough to judge a player on different metrics as they could go on to score well once setting up the innings. Hayden cited the examples of Ishan Kishan, who have a fantastic strike rate in the powerplay, which declines in the middle overs, and said that the youngster Tilak Varma takes on the bowlers at any stage of the innings.
“It’s a real conundrum as to how former cricketers and commentators like myself try and work out what’s the metric that counts. Ishan Kishan, for example, could be criticized for not going on and scoring a big score, but inside the powerplay, his strike rate is about 175. So, he’s doing his job. Because, when you look at the Mumbai Indians lineup, you’ve got, Tilak Varma who is coming in and smashing the ball,” Matthew Hayden added.
Warner is second on the scoring list with 284 runs from four games for Delhi Capitals at a poor strike rate (120.76) and KL Rahul is fourth on the list with 262 runs with an even more poor strike rate of (113.91) the lowest among the top batters in the league stage.