There are bowlers who double bluff: James Faulkner

Sydney: Australian all-rounder James Faulkner – the World Cup hero of 2015 – hit the headlines for his on-field banter with Indian cricketer Virat Kohli during the recently concluded series Down Under. The 25-year-old said that the battle between a bowler and a batsman is only about mind game in limited-over cricket.

He told Cricket Australia (CA) that the bowlers now try to bluff and crush a batsman as the game is heavily tilted towards scoring runs.

It is all about tricks.

As told to CA, the bowlers and skippers try to hoodwink the batsmen by reading his mind. They force the batsman to think that they will engage in a specific strategy and the opposite is executed.

Faulkner said there is a risk of the bowler being taken for a ride. For example, a square leg fielder near the boundary with a mid-on and mid-off inside the circle would mean a short-pitched delivery has been planned.

James Faulkner and Virat Kohli kept chatting in the middle throughout the series. (Photo: AFP)

“Even if you execute your bowling plans, teams can still hit you for 10-12 runs an over. If you are going into the last 10 overs, only two wickets down and you are not getting 100-plus off that, then you haven’t done well enough with the bat,” he said.

“So I think you’ll find a lot of bowlers at the moment will double bluff, set fields because batters are so good now at reading the play with what bowlers are going to bowl that you have to take the punt every now and again,” he added.

Faulkner is now gearing up for the three-match series against New Zealand starting on Wednesday.