Tymal Mills springs to life with Twenty20 cure

Bengaluru: It was just two years ago when Tymal Mills was faced with a very real possibility of having to step away from the game due to a congenital back condition. His burgeoning career as a fast bowler was all but laid low at the age of 22. Fast forward to today, Mills is an England international and Rs 12 crore (£1.8 million) richer from just the Indian Premier League where Royal Challengers Bangalore broke the bank for his services.

The medicine for his cure is called T20 cricket. “It was a two-day period,” recalls Mills. “I had all my tests done and sat down in the board room with doctors and the chief executives at Sussex and I was offered retirement. I had medical grounds to retire because of my back problem. To hear those words at 22 wasn’t nice,” he adds. “The T20 was something they recommended because I had that option. The back injury and other problems I had only occurred when I bowled 14-15 overs in a day.

“So they suggested bowl less and hopefully that doesn’t happen again. Since that point, all I have thought about is T20 cricket,” he stresses with a smile while admitting that he still takes daily medication to help him along.

All set for maiden IPL

It’s the tough times that has given him a more appreciative outlook to life which shines through with consummate ease. Brought in as replacement for Mitchell Starc to be their bowling spearhead, this will be the Englishman’s maiden IPL.

“It’s a competition you look at wanting to come and play. I’m looking forward to contributing and hopefully winning some games for RCB. I played out here (Chinnaswamy Stadium) for England in January. Looking forward to the crowd cheering for me as opposed to being against me,” remarked the Yorkshire man. Getting down to specifics with regards to his role, Mills revealed: “I am not putting pressure on myself because of the money. If you do that then you are setting yourself to fail. I am just going to back myself and do what I have been doing for last two years, last six months especially. I have found a nice formula for myself.”

An ingredient in the formula being his deceptive slow ball, which he uses with devastating effects. “The key is bowling with a fast arm and bowling just as fast I do with my seam up ball. Because I am very flexible, I can still get the same release points with my arm,” opined the 24-year-old. “The more you play against guys the more chance that people are going to read it. I think they can maybe pick up when I am going to bowl it rather that the ball itself. Because I don’t give many cues. Hopefully, not too many guys will pick it. That’s what I work on training so that I don’t have just the slow ball,” he signed off.