Pace is a big factor - Donald

Royal Challengers Bangalore's bowling coach Allan Donald has said the team is eagerly looking forward to the arrival of Australian World Cup hero Mitchell Starc. After mixed returns from two matches, Donald believes Starc, who was the highest wicket-taker as well as the Player of the Tournament, can be the X-factor that Royal Challengers desperately are looking for to bolster their pace pack. Starc, who is recovering from a minor niggle, is expected to join the squad in the next few days.

"It is huge. If Starcy was in any IPL team right now he would be severely missed. Starcy has an effect on the team," Donald told ESPNcricinfo. Donald agreed there was a lot of room for improvement based on the assessment from the first two matches where Royal Challengers won against Kolkata Knight Riders, but then lost at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

"Against Knight Riders we weren't too bad. The thing that frustrates coaches is when people don't stick to bowling plans. But we stuck to our bowling plans really well in Kolkata. In the second game weren't good enough. One could argue the fact that bowlers were struggling to land properly because the creases were very wet. But that shouldn't' be an excuse," Donald said.

According to Donald, Royal Challengers were put on the back foot immediately by David Warner's fiery start against Sunrisers and were never able to come back.

"Sunrisers got off to a blistering start which we did not want. It was all that an easy wicket. It was tacky. We spoke beforehand that we are going to have to hit the lengths really hard. We did the completely opposite. We bowled full. We got driven. They were 60-odd for no loss in no time."

Donald believed that when things go fast and the batsman is dominating, the bowler needs to slow things down during the walk back to his mark, something referred to in bowlers-speak as the 15-second chill.

"A lot of things go through your mind when you just been hit for two sixes. A lot of emotions creep in. That is why we tell the leaders of the group, Darren Sammy and AB de Villiers, to go and speak to the bowler. There is the 15-second chill where the bowler walks back to the mark and during this period a lot of gremlins sit on your shoulder and dictate to you 'bowl this, bowl that.'"

It is in this frame of mind, Donald believes, the bowler "clearly" has no plan. He says this based on personal experience.

Such a scenario did play out on Monday against Sunrisers in the Powerplay. Warner and Shikhar Dhawan ran roughshod over the Royal Challengers' trio of Sean Abott, Harshal Patel and Varun Aaron. After two overs, Sunrisers were 36 for 0. Aaron then delivered a tight third over, giving away just five runs including a boundary. It was followed by an even tighter over by Abu Nechim Ahmed, who gave just two runs.

But instead of tightening the leash, Aaron got distracted by the wetness of the crease as he was repeatedly cleaning the sole of his boots with the bail. First ball of the next over, Warner stuck a powerful loft over the bowler's head for a four. Next ball, Aaron dug in short and Warner just swiveled quickly to pull it over midwicket for another our. Agitated, Aaron repeated the shorter delivery and Warner cut it over thirdman for a six. Aaron just smiled helplessly.

Crucial in this period, Donald pointed out, was for the senior players to put an arm around the bowler and calm him down. "Rather than leaving the bowler on his own we often ask senior guys to talk to him. AB does brilliantly. He runs in from wherever he is fielding to check with the bowler what is his plan. You know that the next two balls to finish the over is crucial. And how you get out of the over is even more crucial.

"When there are 40,000 people in the stadium, and the ideas are rushing through your head about what to do, that is when the experienced hands like AB, Sammy or Starcy play a huge role."

The presence of Starc at the other end, Donald said, would add confidence to the likes of Aaron and the Indian domestic quicks Harshal and Nechim.

"I know what it is like bowling in partnerships with Shaun Pollock and when he wasn't there how it affected the balance of the team simply in terms of the X-factor from the both ends. Starc also brings the best out Varun Aaron. I know that for a fact. They bowl well together. They bowl hard in the middle overs as a partnership."

Donald describes every ball in T20 cricket as an event, and hence he tirelessly stresses that bowlers need to recover quickly after any assault. "We know how quickly the game turns in terms of momentum and even two balls can have a big say in the outcome of the game."

Bowling coaches' job over the seasons have become difficult as batsmen like de Villiers and Glenn Maxell have taken the size of grounds out of the equation. Donald says it is not easy to bowl five yorkers every over, and that only a Lasith Malinga can do it.

According to Mumbai Indians' bowling coach Shane Bond, a much safer delivery at times can be the length delivery. "We encourage that the yorker that really gets the danger batsman out of strike and think about the next delivery to the other guy," he said. "And that is why bowlers get emotional and say whatever happens will happen. And that is not good enough: you have got to think 24 balls very clearly."

The unique facet about Royal Challengers' bowling line-up is three of their strike bowlers - Starc, Aaron and Adam Milne - can bowl consistently at 150kph. Then there is Sean Abott who can bowl 140-plus. So there is no dearth of pace. However, Donald conceded that it was risky business to go for extreme pace.

Still, he will not discourage his fast men from limiting themselves. "Pace is a big factor. If it goes wrong, the ball goes to the fence. But, having said that, these guys take you wickets," Donald said.

"You can't tell these guys how to be very tight in the channel and be conservative. These guys need to be given the licence to take you wickets and win you games and they are going to go for a few. And this why they are strike bowlers."