Tough for bowlers to switch from IPL to Champions Trophy, feels Shane Bond

Former New Zealand speedster Shane Bond reckons the bowlers will have a hard time making the switch from the IPL to playing ODIs in the Champions Trophy. The annual Indian T20 league is scheduled to finish on May 21, while the Champions Trophy begins on June 1 in England.

Some might believe that with just over a week in hand, players will have sufficient time to make the transition from T20 cricket in the sub-continent to 50-over matches in the UK. Bond, however, begs to differ. Taking to his column on the ICC website, Shane Bond pointed out the fundamental differences between T20s and ODIs and reasoned out why some players might find it difficult to endure the increased workloads.

“Because of the condensed schedules in the IPL, and the heat and the travel, the bowlers haven’t been bowling a lot in the nets. Going into the ICC Champions Trophy, where the top bowlers will be expected to bowl their quota of 10 overs, will pose a unique kind of challenge in terms of the bowlers not having had enough of a workload. It is important that it is not just your skills that are up to speed, you need to have had miles in the legs as well,” Shane Bond said.

Shane Bond is currently coaching the Mumbai Indians in the ongoing edition of the IPL. He has been closely following two of New Zealand’s premier quicks who are part of the Mumbai Indians setup. “There are a couple of Kiwis in our franchise – Tim Southee and Mitchell McClenaghan – who are in the ICC Champions Trophy squad. Mitch has been a regular feature in our playing XI, but Tim hasn’t had as many games. The challenge for both Tim and Mitch is bowling 5-6 over spells that they most likely will in England,” Bond quipped.

However, Shane Bond wasn’t too worried about the batsmen. He felt they are better off than the bowlers, as the mindset according to him will be the same for the batters.

“The mindset is pretty much the same in both formats. Look to hit the ball hard, score quickly. There will be the odd challenge in terms of changes of roles for certain batsmen. Rohit Sharma has been batting in the middle order for us and Aaron Finch for Gujarat Lions and both of them will need to re-adjust to playing the new ball, in English conditions, when they open the batting for their respective countries,” he said.

However, Bond showed his concern over the all-format players from India and Australia, who have been playing right since February this year. Both sides were part of a riveting four-match Test series, which was shortly followed by the IPL. The players from India and Australia will then travel to England to take part in the Champions Trophy. Shane Bond felt that the cricketers needed a break before the start of the mega-event in the UK.

“They played the Test series in February-March, followed immediately by the IPL. They will desire a mental break of a couple of weeks going into the ICC Champions Trophy, just like the India players will, but that is not possible because there isn’t much time. And it becomes particularly challenging for the players that make it to the 21 May final, because the turnaround between then and the start of the ICC Champions Trophy is reasonably tight,” Bond concluded.