T20 bowlers must adapt or get left behind, New Zealand’s Southee says

MELBOURNE: The mountain of runs being scored in the Indian Premier League (IPL) shows Twenty20 cricket is changing and bowlers must move with the times or be left behind, New Zealand paceman Tim Southee said.

Records have tumbled in the IPL this season, with Sunrisers Hyderabad twice scoring the highest totals and Punjab Kings pulling off the biggest successful run-chase last week by mowing down a target of 262 set by Kolkata Knight Riders.

The frenetic scoring has left bowlers with few places to hide and raised concerns about the sport’s balance between bat and ball ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean.

“It’s forever changing, and we’re even seeing in the last few weeks in India that it’s changing again,” Southee told New Zealand media.

“You have to change as a bowler, especially. You have to move with the times, and if you don’t you get left behind.

“As a spectacle, it’s exciting. “As a bowler, I’d like it to come back in our favour a little bit more. But I hope that people are enjoying watching cricket.”

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Southee was named in his seventh T20 World Cup squad this week, joining fellow old stagers Trent Boult and Kane Williamson.

New Zealand will rely on their usual strength in pace bowling at the tournament, with quicks Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson included along with medium pacer Daryl Mitchell.

Neighbours Australia have also stuck with their pace stalwarts while adding a second specialist spinner in Ashton Agar in their 15.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh hoped conditions in the Caribbean and the US might give bowlers some relief from the kind of batterings seen recently in India.

“Some of the scores in the IPL have been incredible,” the all-rounder told reporters in Perth, shaking his head with a rueful laugh.

“I’m not sure I’ll be lining up to bowl in the future over there. “But the game’s evolving, the game’s moving forward. Teams are going harder in the powerplay. “We’ll play as we see it.”