Era of bowlers' domination is over'

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• Johannesburg: South African great Shaun Pollock feels that the era of bowlers' domination is over in world cricket. The shortest format of the game along with its plethora of entertainment has impacted the art of bowling.

• "During our days, there was an aura of domination by the bowlers. But that's difficult now as you might suffer thrashing in a T20 match in between two Test series, which can affect your confidence. We used to get emotional or upset if we were hit badly, but it's more acceptable now," he told TOI here on Friday.

• "It's hard to have a mental ascendancy now, the way we were used to while playing f Test and ODIs only. You are also a share the same dressing rooms with your rivals in this age of growing T20 franchise leagues. Becoming friends dilutes that stand-off part," the 49-ye- are-old pacer, working as a TV commentator for SA20 league here, felt.

• The former SA skipper understands the need of bow- lers trying variations to stay relevant. "They try to develop skills as best as they can. But I am not happy watching one bowl a wide line just to be effective. I am a dinosaur to be able to think that way," he smiles.

• However, more than variations, Pollock feels bowlers can do well by studying and planning differently for different batters.

• "You have to look for small signals to understand a batter's mind. Like (Kumar) Sangakkara used to tap his bat when he planned to come down the wicket. (Kieron) Pollard would never play the paddle shot or sweep you, but SKY (Suryakumar Yadav) will do that," Pollock, who holds the record for bowling most maiden overs in ODI history, said.

• However, talking about Surya, Pollock, who worked with him during his IPL days with the Mumbai Indians, feels it's difficult to stop him now.

• "SKY is good at scoring in awkward areas. If you ask me, I will bowl length deliveries to him to make him hit at the back of my head as I feel that's not an area of strength for him. I will set the field to check him hitting through extra cover and midwicket regions," he suggested.

• "Grounds getting smaller has also hurt the bowlers' cause with almost all batters now capable of clearing = them," Pollock, who has over 400 Test wickets, said. "Previously if a batter wanted to = take on a spinner, he had to use his feet. But now on smal- ler grounds, they can do that just standing at the crease," he said.

• "I personally think that T20 is entertainment with a bit of a cricket flavour rather than the true form of testing your ability," he added.

• He ended up with a note of advice to the bowlers. "You have to develop a thicker skin and cannot put your soul in a T20 match as that will be difficult to cope with," he said.