T20 pitches ought to be flat: Andy Bichel

[rkt.india]

He tormented batsmen with out-swingers that were both pacey and precise in his playing days. Andy Bichel, the former Australia and Queensland fast bowler, is now a successful bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings. He shared his thoughts in a chat with The Hindu here on Tuesday. What are the changes a bowler needs to bring about to succeed in T20 cricket? You need to mix it up. Bowl the bouncer, the good length deliveries, change pace, bowl yorkers later on. Do you believe outswing bowlers such as yourself are disadvantaged in this format? Not really. If you swing the ball up front, you have a great chance of picking up two or three wickets. The one option or a variation you would want in the CSK bowling unit? I think it would have to be a leg-spinner with a googly. He can get the ball to spin both ways and can effectively handle left-right combinations that can unsettle bowling line-ups. There has been plenty of debate about the switch-hit The leg-before law has to change. If a right-handed batsman changes both his stance and grip to become a virtual left-hander as the ball is delivered, there is no reason why he should not be ruled leg-before to a delivery pitching outside leg if the other requirements are met. Also if a bowler changes his bowling hand during the run-up, he should be allowed to bowl. Should the surface have more in it for bowlers in T20 cricket? The pitches for Tests should be a bit spicy. Since two white balls are being used for ODIs, the wickets can be good so that the bowlers do not get too much advantage. People come to watch sixes and fours in T20 games so the surfaces should be flat. Is it not unfair on the bowlers? The bowlers will find a way through. If you see in this edition, even the younger set of bowlers have done well compared to the earlier IPLs. They have bowled in better areas. In fact, some of the games have been dominated by bowlers. But then, some teams have suffered for not picking a fifth bowler. Yes. But in CSK, we have picked six bowlers in the XI if not seven. Your impressions on the Indian pace attack? Don't you think it is lacking in pace at the moment? For Test cricket, you need three bowlers who can bowl at 140k and move the ball around. I am impressed with Umesh Yadav. He's sharp, fit and swings the ball. He maintains his speed over spells. Ishant Sharma bowled without luck in the first Test in Australia and then his confidence went down. Varun Aaron looked good before he got injured. There is often a serious speed slump in some Indian pacemen as their career develops I think there could be issues with fitness. The one quality that you admire in CSK I think it is the confidence that comes from winning consistently. You did plenty of work with Sudip Tyagi in Australia... He had a shoulder reconstruction. He's made improvements, looks fitter and is regaining pace. http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article3325411.ece