Sharjah stadium perfect for shorter formats, says Dawson

Sharjah - The Knights punished Pakthoons bowlers, who failed to get their length right

Shorter boundaries and a batting paradise have made the Sharjah Stadium a perfect venue for the shorter formats of the game, according to England all-rounder Liam Dawson.
Dawson's team Pakthoons lost their first match of the T10 League to Kerala Knights by eight wickets on Wednesday night.
The Knights punished Pakthoons bowlers, who failed to get their length right in their first game of the second edition of the tournament.
"Sometimes bowling slow can work. Such good pitches in Sharjah. So it's important for bowlers to vary their pace. It's a massive part of the game in these conditions," the 28-year-old Dawson told reporters in the post-match press conference.
The Knights chased down the target of 110 in just 7.5 overs.
"As a bowling group, we probably bowled a bit too full. We talked at the interval bowling slightly at back of a length because the wicket was quite skiddy," he said.
"If we look back as a group, we bowled probably too many half volleys. We didn't execute our plans well enough."
But Dawson admitted that bowlers would struggle to make an impact on this pitch.
"Definitely bowling is not fun on this wicket. As the wickets have shown here, it's definitely a tough place for a bowler because the boundary is so small, and it's a good wicket," he said. "But it makes the game fun to watch. You see lot of boundaries which make it fun to watch for the crowd. It's a very good pitch for batting."
So what could be a safe total for teams batting first on this pitch?
"It's hard to guess. The batsmen are so good these days. The boundaries are smaller. I mean chasing even in T20 cricket is probably easier and that's why lot of teams now bowl first. They back themselves to chase any score. T10 is no different," he said.
"Lot of teams in these tournaments will win lot of games batting second because you know at what run rate you have to go straightaway.

"Sometimes, when you bat first it's difficult to understand what could be a good score. So chasing is probably a lot easier in the shorter formats of the game."
Dawson then revealed why it's important to do well in this tournament as a player.
"When you do well in a tournament, you gain confidence. There are some big name players here, they are legends of the game. So if you do well, it does give you confidence," said Dawson who has played three Test matches and nine limited-overs games for England.
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com