Field setting at the death is very important: Heath Streak

KOLKATA: Having struggled with their death bowling for a better part of the league stage, Kolkata Knight Riders have shown significant improvement in the last few matches, the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on Wednesday being a case in point.
Bowling coach Heath Streak said that plans were always in place, but the bowlers have now been able to execute them properly.“Batsmen these days can guess the type of delivery by looking at the field. So field setting at the death is very important,” he said at the team hotel on Thursday, the eve of Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. “We try to set fields with which the bowler can deliver two different lines and lengths so that the batsmen have to think a bit,” he added.
Streak was all praise for the KKR bowlers, especially young Prasidh Krishna. “He is one of the names the IPL has unearthed. He has brought a new dimension not just with his pace but also his height. The most pleasing thing is that he is a thinking cricketer. The youngster is using his options and variations well,” Streak stated.
Prasidh gave away just three runs in the 18th over and took the wicket of Stuart Binny as Rajasthan Royals fell short of the target on Wednesday night.
“That 18th over was world class and it reminds me of guys like Jasprit Bumrah, who came on the scene doing exactly what he (Prasidh) is doing,” Streak observed.
The Karnataka pacer has picked up 10 wickets in six matches, with his best effort being 4 for 30 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the must-win final league game.
The former Zimbabwe pacer felt the KKR attack has enough firepower to succeed. “The good thing about our bowling is the speed we have in the line-up. (Shivam) Mavi, Prasidh and (Andre) Russell all bowl at above 140 kmph. When you bowl the cutter or the slower one at that pace, it’s a lot more effective,” he remarked.