IPL 2020 | CSK have to drop Watson to accommodate Josh Hazlewood, opines Simon Doull
Cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull believes that it’s time for Chennai Super Kings to finally let go of Shane Watson, and instead bring Josh Hazlewood into the side to bolster the bowling unit. Doull wants CSK to open with Faf and Rayudu and bat Jadhav and Dhoni at 3 and 4 respectively.
Shane Watson’s stay in the Chennai Super Kings franchise has been a weird one, for he has often underperformed in the first half of the season, only to compensate for the same through remarkable performances in the second half. In IPL 2019, for instance, he posted scores of 0, 44, 13, 5, 26, 17, 0, 6, 31 and 5 in first 10 innings, after which people called for his axing, but bounced back in astonishing fashion, scoring 96, 50 and 80 in 3 of the last 7 games. After a poor start this season, the Aussie veteran’s place in the side has once again become a hot topic of discussion, but the CSK management have made it clear that they will lend their full support to Watson.
However, according to renowned expert Simon Doull, it’s time for the Super Kings to put an end to the Watson story. Speaking on Cricbuzz LIVE, ahead of CSK’s clash versus KXIP on Sunday, Doull claimed that CSK need to draft in Josh Hazlewood to bolster the pace attack, and thereby drop Watson to accommodate the speedster.
“Hazlewood has got to come back in and play - CSK have to find space for Josh Hazlewood. How many chances Shane Watson deserves, I’m not sure. Stephen Fleming talked about CSK’s loyalty even yesterday, but I think the time has come (to drop Watson). They are 1 from 4 and they need to find a formula that will help them win games. For me, Watson out and Hazlewood,” Doull said on Cricbuzz LIVE.
Doull called for CSK to open with Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu and play Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni at No.3 and No.4, respectively. The all-rounders Curran, Jadeja and Bravo, according to the former Kiwi cricketer, could do a more than decent job batting in the middle-order.
“Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu will have to open the batting, Kedar Jadhav will have to bat 3 and CSK will have to get MS Dhoni in at No.4. The all-rounders will have to do a job. Jaddu (Jadeja) did a very good job the other day, Bravo can do a job and Curran can do a job. So they might have to bat 5, 6 and 7, but you’ve got to get runs out of the top. You need that bowling strength.”
Having posted scores of 1, 5, 13* and 11, Glenn Maxwell’s place in the Kings XI Punjab side has come under the scanner and Doull feels that it might be time for the Victorian to spend a few days warming the bench. Maxwell was purchased by Punjab for a mammoth sum of 10.75 crore, but, according to the 51-year-old, a player should not be fielded just because the franchise paid big bucks for their services.
“I don’t think KL Rahul had his best captaincy game versus Mumbai Indians. He was found wanting a bit towards the end, using Neesham. He (Neesham) is not a death bowler, he went a bit around the park and there’s been enough said and written about it on social media. But what about Maxwell? Why is he playing? He’s got 4 cracks and he’s scored 30 runs. The way he’s getting out is disappointing and maybe he deserves a couple of games on the bench as well. Just because you pay a guy massive money, it doesn’t mean you have to play him if he’s not performing.”
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