Can the Black Caps back up their T20 series win against India in 2019?
The Black Caps have had some sleepless nights as a result of India's early dominance in their Twenty20 series, and bowler Jasprit Bumrah is a major reason why, according to wicketkeeper Tim Seifert.
"Last night was quite hard to sleep, you do think about yourself," Seifert acknowledged after his sideslumped to a seven-wicket defeat to go 2-0 down in their five-match Twenty20 series against India.
The cause of the lopsided defeat came from a flimsy batting performance, with the Black Caps making just 132-5 after opting to bat first at Eden Park.
Bumrah, who was India's best bowler with figures of 1-31 in the first T20, also shone with 1-21 from his four overs on Sunday, and what makes his figures all the more impressive were the circumstances in which he produced them.
Beginning his spells in the powerplay overs, Bumrah has also bowled the 18th and 20th overs in both matches. In the first game, with the Black Caps poised at 178-4 with three overs to go, he conceded just 16 runs – three of them overthrows – and two days later, he allowed only 12 runs from his final two overs.
Having bowled 17 dot balls and only conceded three boundaries so far this tour, Bumrah's performances have shown why he's regarded as the world's best death bowler, and Seifert observed some subtle differences which have made him even harder to get away.
"It was even in the first game, his slower balls went wider - normally he either goes straight yorker or hard chest-height, so he's changed his line. But also the pitch had changed from the first game, so his slower balls were holding even more, which made it tougher."
Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah in action against the Black Caps. Photo / Photosport
Seifert still managed to graft an unbeaten 33 from 26 balls, while Martin Guptill (33 from 20) was the only other batsman to make a score of substance.
However, neither could perform at their best against Bumrah, and Guptill pinpointed his death bowling skills as a major reason why the Black Caps couldn't reach their target score of 170.
"You're playing against one of the best death bowlers in the world. He's got a great slower ball, hits the hole pretty well and he's got a great bouncer. So it's pretty hard to get Bumrah away at the end."
And while Seifert was struggling to sleep, Guptill instead had a rather optimistic dream for the remainder of the series.
