Execution and accuracy paramount for bowlers, not numbers

CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings bowling consultant Eric Simons is a firm believer of the ‘numbers do not tell the entire story’ theory. The South African, during an interaction with select media recently, emphasised that the execution of a plan is paramount, adding that technology helps in shaping bowlers.

“I had a radar system last year, which we are busy developing. I want to understand execution and accuracy of the bowlers. We spend too much time analysing statistics, execution for budding prospects is more important,” said Simons, who joined the franchise in 2018 and is working in tandem with bowling coach Dwayne Bravo for the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023.

“If you come to net practice and someone bowls a ball that goes past the outside edge, everyone goes ‘well bowled’. But, if he (the bowler) wants to bowl a yorker and he has the ball going past the bails, it is not a good ball. He has to execute what he wants to bowl. We use PowerPoints to show them what they did… like the beehives,” added Simons.

“I believe that the game needs to go away from the number of overs someone has bowled, number of wickets he has taken, the economy rate he has, to a place where we can see the accuracy he has while bowling something like yorkers. So, the bowler knows what his best ball is. I measure what their execution is rather than seeing whether it is a good ball [or not]. It is not about the contest, it is about the execution,” explained the former South Africa bowler.

‘Stay in touch with bowlersthroughout the year’

Simons is currently working with a crop of upcoming fast bowlers, including Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande and Simarjeet Singh. He revealed that he stays in touch with the domestic pacers even when they are away from CSK duty.

“Two-three times a month, I just send a message and ask ‘how is it going and how are you doing?’. We have what we call the ‘CSK language’ – things that we say and repeat over and over. When they (the bowlers) are under pressure, they can go back to that language. It calms them down and keeps them focused. Plan A instead of Plan B, whatever it might be, just say it over and over again. I repeat it, we chat about it,” Simons said.