T20 World Cup 2021: You Have Got To Be Able To Adapt - Pat Cummins Talks About Bowling On The 'Tired' UAE Pitches

Australia speedster Pat Cummins is raring to step go and bowl in the T20 World Cup and play at the international level again, having not played at the highest level since January.

Pat Cummins and a few other Aussie players have opted out from their limited-overs tours of West Indies and Bangladesh and come into the World Cup having been fully rested. The lanky speedster had also pulled out from the UAE leg of the IPL 2021.

However, Pat Cummins played in the UAE in IPL 2020 for KKR, and observing the pitches getting used in the IPL this season, the pacer reckons bowlers would need to have variations up their sleeves to bowl on the ‘tired’ surfaces.

“A couple of wickets have been tired and a couple times you get some really good wickets,” Pat Cummins said in a virtual conference on Thursday.

“In Twenty20, you got to have a few different varieties. Bowling with a new ball up front is going to look quite different to how you bowl in the end. So you’ve got to be able to adapt and have two or three different spells within the 20 overs.”

The night games tend to be a bit more batter-friendly: Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins believes bowling in the night matches in the presence of dew will be more difficult than during the day games when it’s much drier. Australia play three of their five Super 12 matches in the daytime.

Stressing on the dew factor, the 28-year-old further stated that pacers would be needed to use their repertoire of skillset and variations in batting-friendly conditions.

“The night games tend to be a bit more batter-friendly. There’s a bit of dew around and the ball skids on whereas the day games are a bit drier.

“I think the biggest difference is when we talk about it being dry. That kind of brings in the slower balls. Night games, if they start sliding on, you’ve got to look at other options. Maybe it’s yorkers, bouncers, and try different deliveries where the pitch is friendly for us bowlers,” he asserted.

Australia defeated New Zealand in their first warm-up match before being outplayed by India in their second warm-up fixture. They meet South Africa for their opening encounter of the Super 12 stage on Saturday afternoon in Abu Dhabi.

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