For tackling left-arm seamers, England appoints an Indian sidearm specialist
The defending Champions England have appointed Saurabh Ambatkar, India’s side-arm specialist, before the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is going to get started on October 5. The idea is to tackle left-arm seamers well in the tournament, and hence, the Three Lions have brought him on board. He joined the squad in Guwahati before the warm-up match against India and will travel with the squad for the rest of the tournament.
It will give batters some understanding of the areas they need to improve. Meanwhile, Saurabh has worked with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League before and, hence, can prove to be extremely impactful for England.
Currently, all four England coaches are right-arm throwers, and because of that, they were looking for a left-handed specialist, and Saurabh fits perfectly into the role. He has worked alongside England manager Wayne Bentley at KKR, and hence, the team management was aware of the things he could bring to the table.
Also, England has a history of struggling against left-arm pacers, as players like Mitchell Starc, Jason Behrendorff, and Trent Boult have had a lot of success against them. In the 2023 edition, Starc, Boult, and Shaheen Shah Afridi can prove to be deadly against them, and therefore, the team management decided to appoint Saurabh.