Being the middle-man

I tend to bowl in the middle overs of ODIs to try and break partnerships. There can sometimes be a bit of a stalemate in the middle of an innings, with batsmen just trying to rotate the strike, but if I can be aggressive and take wickets in that period I can put a dent in the total. A couple of set batsmen can do some serious damage in the last 10 or 15 overs so two or three wickets in the middle can be vital.

To do that you need to attack. Under Morgs [Eoin Morgan] we’re always looking to be aggressive, sometimes keeping catchers in and trying to take wickets with field placings or short balls.

Work with what you’ve got

I was playing for the Dolphins in South Africa and Shaun Pollock, who was one of my heroes growing up, gave me a piece of advice that sounds simple but it has always stayed with me. I was trying to swing it away, as I usually did then, and it just wasn’t happening for me. He said, ‘On different days it might not happen – you’ve just to work with what you’ve got on that given day’.

If the ball’s not swinging away but there’s a strong cross-wind angling the ball into the batsman, then use that. Go for the lbw dismissal. Or if you’re not feeling great and your rhythm’s not right, use whatever’s on offer to get through it. Every day is different.