Powerplay showdown: Salt & Buttler vs the new ball, Mitchell vs England’s swing threat

For England, the powerplay is about having the go-ahead; if Phil Salt gets them going, and Jos Buttler manages even a little bit of form, their middle order is then able to play freely, instead of cautiously. For New Zealand, it’s regarding control. Should they manage to hold England to between 40 and 45 runs, without letting Salt really get started, Mitchell Santner’s steady plan for the middle overs becomes twice as effective.

Powerplay sets certainty and control

Then, there’s the reverse of that – New Zealand’s top order against England’s swing and seam bowling. Daryl Mitchell isn’t an opening batsman, but is New Zealand’s main source of stability – if wickets fall early, he is the player who will decide whether the innings remains on track, or falls apart into a chase.

This is why it feels as if this is a decisive match, even though, according to the standings, England are already qualified. New Zealand want to be sure of qualification, England want the top spot, and the powerplay is where certainty begins.

Deep Dive

What Premadasa does to powerplay

Colombo, at the R. Premadasa Stadium, can offer two different types of game in the same evening. At first, the new ball can move just enough to benefit full lengths and tight seam. Later, the pitch frequently slows, and the boundary hitting changes – what looked like a good 175 pitch becomes a 155 pitch, with pressure being a factor.

Two characteristics of the ground shape the first six overs here:

• The square boundaries seem larger than you would expect. Anything mistimed will hang in the air long enough for deep fielders to get under it.
• The ball doesn’t always come off the bat as you want. If you commit to your shot early, you can hit into the pitch and lose the shape of the shot, particularly against cutters and cross-seam deliveries.

Therefore, the question in the powerplay isn’t just “can you hit?” It’s “can you hit the correct ball, and can you still keep a good scoring rate when boundaries aren’t easy to come by?”

England plan at top of order

England’s best form in T20 cricket normally has a clear allocation of roles at the top:

• One opener attacks the bowlers’ best overs and sets the pace.
• The other opener absorbs early movement and turns the innings into something solid.

At the moment, Phil Salt is the more obvious pace-setter. He doesn’t need to be in rhythm for long; he needs two balls in his hitting arc and then he’s away. The way he plays is ideal for powerplays – strong hands, clear choices, and a willingness to go aerial early if the field allows it.

Buttler, in his current form, is the more important player. Not because England don’t have other options, but because a Buttler who “looks like Buttler” changes the entire match situation. When he’s in form, he isn’t just scoring – he’s disrupting bowling plans. Captains can’t keep third man up, can’t protect both square boundaries, and can’t hide their fifth bowler.

In this match, England want a powerplay that’s straightforward: 48–55 runs with a maximum of one wicket lost. That stops New Zealand from using Santner just as a specialist bowler for the middle overs.

New Zealand new-ball approach

New Zealand’s powerplay plan is usually less about looking for a moment of brilliance and more about applying pressure until the batsman makes the first rash decision. Against England, that means the new ball has one clear job: prevent Salt from getting the “easy” boundary, and prevent Buttler from getting the “release” shot.

Matt Henry is the foundation of that plan. He isn’t the type to bowl two poor overs and then compensate with one wicket ball. He is the type who bowls good lengths and waits for the batsman to make a mistake.

Lockie Ferguson adds a different threat: pace that makes shots played off the back foot more risky, and bounce that turns the pull into a risk if the ball rises. Against England’s top order, which is mostly right-handed, Ferguson’s job is often psychological – make them feel rushed, then make them hit to the larger side of the ground.

The clever option is Santner. If the pitch looks dry and has grip, Santner might be tempted to bowl a spinner into the powerplay earlier than most teams do, especially if Salt is scoring quickly and the ball is gripping. It’s a typical Colombo tactic: give up the idea of “new ball equals seam” and instead take away timing.

If New Zealand do that, it isn’t only about spin. It’s about field settings – protect straight, make England hit square, and make the large boundary do the rest.

The key battle: Phil Salt vs Matt Henry in the first 12 balls

If you want one moment that can set the entire game’s rhythm, it’s Salt’s first 8–12 balls against Henry’s hard, straight control. Salt’s preferred scoring areas during the powerplay are usually:

• forcefully through the covers when the delivery has enough length;
• pulling and lifting over midwicket if the bowler bowls too short, or towards the body;
• and a lofted straight drive when the bowler gets the length wrong.

Henry’s tactic to counter this is to be deliberately uninteresting: bowling a length that is too full to pull comfortably, too short to drive easily, and straight enough to keep the stumps in the game.

The point isn’t if Salt gets a four, but if he can get a four without having to try very hard. If Salt is obliged to create boundaries from good balls, New Zealand’s strategy is succeeding.

Ideally, England want Salt to get 12–16 runs off one of Henry’s overs. New Zealand would be happy with Salt getting 6–7 runs, with no relieving shot, and then feeling he has to ‘catch up’ against the next bowler.

Jos Buttler versus first change of pace

Buttler, when in form, can overcome most bowling attacks. However, when his timing is off, batsmen often fall into a particular pattern: dot balls lead to a sense of needing to score, that leads to a risky boundary attempt, and risky boundaries become mistimed catches.

New Zealand will attempt to create this pattern early on.

They will do this by:

• setting tight fields to make taking singles harder;
• bowling a length that prevents an easy punch through extra cover;
• and using a slower ball, or a change of pace, early on to disrupt timing.

Buttler’s best powerplay ability is to score without hitting boundaries. He can take singles, steal twos, and prevent the over from feeling as if it belongs to the bowler.

If Buttler’s first ten balls consist of six singles and one boundary, England are in a good position. If his first ten balls contain five dot balls and one boundary attempt, New Zealand will have achieved their goal.

How England can win without burst

On this pitch, 65 runs in the powerplay is not required to win; a powerplay that does not invite pressure is.

England can control the first six overs by:

• taking the first single that is available – not spectacular, but it stops the build-up of dot balls which cause panic;
• hitting straight when possible – square boundaries are larger; straight boundaries are safer if the bowler bowls the wrong length;
• and selecting one bowler to attack, not all of them – a controlled powerplay frequently comes from one over yielding 14 runs, rather than from six overs of consistent risk.

If England do this, they can go into overs 7–15 with wickets remaining and their original plan still in place – exactly what is needed against Santner’s control of the middle overs.

The other side: New Zealand’s powerplay against England’s swing bowling.

England’s bowling in the powerplay is normally based around:

• a bowler who can swing the ball, or at least make it move, early on;
• and a bowler who can bowl a hard length and encourage mistakes to the boundary.

Even if the ball does not swing dramatically, England’s seamers can still make batsmen uncomfortable with the wobble seam, the cross-seam, and a slightly fuller length that makes driving risky on a pitch that can offer grip.

New Zealand’s top order – Finn Allen and the wicketkeeper-opener – must quickly work out what the pitch is doing. If it is fast, they can play more freely. If it is gripping, they must respect the ‘Colombo effect’ and avoid giving England early wickets which would allow the spinners to dominate.

And this is where Daryl Mitchell comes in.

Daryl Mitchell role and stability

Daryl Mitchell’s function: the player who stabilises the innings and decides if the chase becomes difficult.

Mitchell is not the star of the powerplay, but he is the batsman New Zealand trust to keep the innings stable when the first six overs are difficult.

If New Zealand lose one or two early wickets, Mitchell is usually the player who:

• recovers without conceding dot balls;
• targets the ‘easier’ overs from part-time spin;
• and leaves Phillips and the other power-hitters with a reasonable base to work from.

Against England, Mitchell’s main job is to prevent swing bowling causing a collapse. England’s powerplay bowling is most dangerous when it quickly takes a second wicket – because the next batsman then comes in with the field up and the ball moving. That is where uncertainty is born. Mitchell’s composure is a benefit. He doesn’t require the powerplay to go New Zealand’s way; he simply needs to stop England from getting it twice – once through scoring, and once by taking wickets.

Mitchell against swing and seam

Should England get any movement, they will put Mitchell under pressure with these three approaches:

• Bowling full and straight at the start: to bring lbw and bowled into consideration, and to make him decide about playing a drive.
• A hard length into his body: to remove the straightforward front-foot shot, and compel a hit to the leg side.
• A variation in speed when he is set: a slower ball, or cutter, once Mitchell begins to depend on the ball’s pace.

Mitchell generally responds with a combination of patience, and carefully chosen aggression. He is happy to take singles in the early stages, and is happy to wait for the bowler to bowl a bad ball. The risk for him comes if he tries to be as naturally aggressive as New Zealand’s other players too soon, and so loses his technique.

When Santner starts shaping middle overs

The strategic move to observe: at what point does Santner begin to prepare for the middle overs during the powerplay?

Tournament-winning captains regularly begin to win the game before the clear part of it has begun. Santner’s strongest quality is his ability to think in terms of sequences.

In this game, this sequencing might look like:

• Using the new ball to stop Salt scoring boundaries.
• Making one ‘difficult’ over where Buttler feels under pressure.
• Entering the middle overs with England on 45/2 or 48/2, and not 55/1.
• Then allowing the spin bowlers to dominate overs 7–15.

England are aware that this is the plan. Their response has to begin in the powerplay, and not after it.

If England reach over 7 having lost two wickets, New Zealand can bowl spin with attacking fields. If England reach over 7 having lost one wicket, and with 50 runs on the board, New Zealand’s middle overs will become a defensive task, rather than an attempt to restrict scoring.

Scoreboard goals for first six overs

Because this is Colombo, “good” is relative. Nevertheless, the teams will have approximate targets in their minds.

What is most important is wickets, not runs. Runs can be made up later. Wickets decide whether you are permitted to take chances later.

Powerplay indicators that matter

If you are trying to understand the powerplay beyond the score, pay attention to these indicators:

• Are the batsmen taking twos early? If so, they have worked out the ground.
• Are the bowlers changing pace within the first two overs? If so, they have detected grip, or they are trying to upset the timing of the batsmen.
• Are the captains protecting the longer boundary at the beginning? If so, they are relying on mis-hits, and the pitch.
• And one more: groups of dot balls. Two dot balls are normal. Four dot balls in an over – especially at the beginning – is a problem, because it creates a shot which is not chosen, but is forced.