Alzarri Joseph’s debut T20I five-fer came late on March 28 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, less than 72 hours before the start of IPL 2023. Almost instantly, he boarded a plane for Ahmedabad to join the Gujarat Titans. On the eve of the big game, an unseasonable late-evening rainstorm cut short his only training session in preparation for the Gujarat Titans’ title defense.
Therefore, Joseph’s first over of the year was reasonably defended, despite costing three sixes and 18 runs. The combination of possible jet lag and a brilliant knock through the line by Ruturaj Gaikwad on a belter of a cricket surface can be difficult to overcome. Yet that’s just what this 26-year-old accomplished. He then went three overs without allowing a boundary, while also taking two wickets and limiting the opposition to 15 runs. The Chennai Super Kings were well on their way to a score well beyond the Titans’ reach, but this period put the brakes on their scoring.
The Super Kings had scored 121 with seven overs and seven wickets remained as Joseph began his second over. Gaikwad was cruising at the other end, needing just 37 runs to reach 76, while Shivam Dube had played only one ball. Good strides were being made in hitting the Titans. Joseph had attempted to regain length in his first over, but his lines drifted towards Gaikwad’s hips, which gave the batsman enough opportunity to use the swivel pull-pickup shot. There wasn’t much wiggle room on the wicket.
That’s one thing, but understanding it. A different skill is bowling a pin-point short ball. Joseph did this same thing when facing Dube; he threw the ball right-arm over, slanted over the plate, pounded the ball at speeds in excess of 140 km/h, and climbed towards the batter’s left shoulder, all the while maintaining his upward trajectory at the time of contact. Dube desperately attempted to create space and time, but he was no match for the blistering speed and steepling bounce. Joseph’s stint was the deciding factor in the game, although he received none of the postgame accolades after completely derailing CSK’s innings. That’s just how these things operate.
In the middle overs of IPL 2022, the tactic of “hard lengths at high pace” emerged as crucial. It was quite effective against Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, and even Andre Russell, but only against teams like the Kolkata Knight Riders from the previous season. This strategy appears to be well-suited for the middle overs against this year’s CSK, when Dube and Ambati Rayudu are likely to do the bulk of the batting.
MS Dhoni stated after the game that his batting unit had been guilty of attempting to muscle the ball in the second half of the innings, which is a common problem for hitters like Dube who stay leg-side of the ball and then struggle to move pacy deliveries slanted across them. Gaikwad’s approach is more pure since it allows the batsman to get closer to the ball, almost as if they were playing Test cricket, which can improve their control and timing. The data speaks for itself. Gaikwad scored 43 runs off 21 deliveries, including four sixes, against balls classified as short or back-of-length on the Cricbuzz ball-by-ball website. The remainder of the CSK team scored only 39 runs off 37 such balls.
Joseph is a fantastic late-game bowler in the format thanks to his crisp bouncer and ability to vary pace with fuller and slower deliveries. As evidence of their faith in this adaptability, the Titans let go of the more seasoned Lockie Ferguson, who last year conceded at an economy rate of 7.87 from overs 7 to 16 of a match. While Joseph only scored 7.67, he reportedly has a far higher potential than Jason Holder predicted during the T20 World Cup in Australia six months ago.
Alzarri “should be proud of his progression,” Holder had added. When he gets the ball in his hands, I anticipate big things from him because of his pace and talent. His performances don’t surprise me because of the effort he’s put in. His discipline, devotion towards the cause, and business-like mindset is really amazing to witness for a young player.
It’s very evident that Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya, and the Titans believe Joseph is capable of realizing the same promise, despite the fact that he’ll have to battle adverse weather and pitching circumstances, a lackluster opening performance, and a raging batter.
