Cricket: New ploy is slow going

Ronnie Hira. Photo / Getty Images

The first Twenty20 international between New Zealand and South Africa indicated how vital slower balls and slow bowling will be to the upcoming limited overs series.

Taking the pace off the ball was important against Zimbabwe but shapes as paramount against South Africa. On what are expected to be slower (and possibly lower) wickets, the idea of varying the pace, bowling out of the back of the hand, scrambling the seam and giving extra responsibility to slower bowlers appeals as much as outright speed.

Examples on Friday night were Tim Southee's efforts rolling the fingers over the seam to have Richard Levi caught on the boundary and coaxing Justin Ontong into an early shot where he was caught and bowled.

Injured New Zealand captain Ross Taylor has said batsmen should be prepared to take a hit to their averages if it means slower wickets that produce sideways movement to put the visitors under more pressure. Such moves would be timely with two of cricket's best batsmen - Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis - arriving this week to bolster the Proteas' ranks for the one-dayers.

Twenty20 can be a game that focuses on unfortunate bowlers serving up buffet deliveries for big hitting but the way the New Zealanders have gone about their task suggests they are deploying a subtle weapon. Once it would have been preposterous to suggest four spin bowlers could be used by the Black Caps in a limited overs match, now it is commonplace.

Opening the bowling with Nathan McCullum in the shorter forms immediately means batsmen have to force the ball rather than letting the pace do the work. Roneel Hira and Tarun Nethula have looked tidy in their international outings, especially with their willingness to pitch the ball up.

Rob Nicol is a niggardly prospect, notably with his four wickets for 19 runs in the first ODI versus Zimbabwe. Kane Williamson produces the odd off-break gem but is not reliable enough to be considered anything but a stock bowler at this stage.

The statistics verify the impact of New Zealand's slow bowling. In the three ODI matches against Zimbabwe, slow bowlers took 12 of the 28 wickets (43 per cent) although their economy rates were all higher than the pace bowlers.

In the three T20s this summer, slow bowlers have taken six of the 15 wickets (40 per cent). Against Zimbabwe, the four used had the lowest economy rates of the side's bowlers.