Deyal adds to his repertoire

Deyal adds to his repertoire

Vinode Mamchan
Published: Guardian
Friday, February 5, 2016

Mark Deyal has so far grabbed eight wickets in two matches in the Premiership 50 overs.
Coming in to bat in front of a full house at Sabina Park for the T&T Red Steel in the Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament last year, Mark Deyal impressed by standing up to Chris Gayle’s men and even sent one of the bowlers into the stands.

Fans in T&T looking on stood up and took notice of this young pocket dynamo, who looked as if he belonged to the big times. The little left hander has since been refining his trade and has now added bowling to his repertoire. He is now well on the way to becoming an all rounder at the domestic level.

Playing for Clarke Road United in the Premiership 50 overs tournament last weekend, he slapped 84 against the mighty Queen’s Park (Sunil Narine included) and then grabbed four wickets with his off-spinners.

To show it was no fluke he showed up the next day and also took another four wickets against Alescon Comets. Deyal, whose father Deonarine Deyal represented this country in regional cricket, has been working on his off-spin bowling to good effect.

He has realised that in this modern day, you need to be more than just a one dimensional player. “The game has evolved in such a way that you need to be more than the traditional one dimensional player. You need to go out there and work on all aspects of your game. You need to be sharp as a fieldsman and also if you can bowl as a batsman, it is a massive advantage.”

Deyal credits the rise of T20 cricket for taking the game into this direction. “T20 cricket has emerged and now with fierce competition to get into teams, the guys who can contribute with the bat and ball, almost always have the edge on others.

“I have been working on my bowling, to add to my game and it has been coming along nicely. I am not allowing the time for practice to cut away from my batting, I am just working longer hours and trying to become the complete cricketer.”

Deyal said his dealings with South Africans Jacques Kallis and Johan Botha during last year’s CPL has worked for him: “These guys are the ultimate professionals, they told me that in order to succeed, I need to work very long hours. They mentioned that practice must be intense and if for example we are practicing for three hours, then make sure that I am doing some discipline for three hours and not just sitting around after having a bat or a bowl.”