ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2022

October 18, 2022

George Dockrell

Bellerive Oval

Ireland

Pre Match Media Conference

Q. You're 12 hours give or take later. Do you feel any differently to last night?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, look, it was obviously a disappointing start to the week and not what we had planned, but I guess that's the reality of this kind of knockout cricket and how things go. I think you're hurting at the time, but wake up this morning, you have a very quick turnaround to tomorrow's game, and you know if you go out and win the next two matches, you'll be in a good spot.

I think all the guys had a good think around the game and are in a pretty good head space now to give tomorrow a real shot.

Q. Did you get to see much of the first game yesterday?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah. I think a lot of the guys watched a little bit of it. Obviously there was a lot of travel in between and watched some of the game from the sideline, as well.

Obviously a great win for Scotland, and again, interesting to see how the first game went with so many different conditions, not being under lights and being earlier in the day within that.

Had a good look, and probably will watch a little bit more of the game again later and tomorrow morning, pick up anything we can ahead of tomorrow's clash.

Q. It looked like it was slightly easier to bat under lights. Was that a takeaway you guys had?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, I think so. It seemed like maybe it skidded on a little bit more under lights, but it also might have swung a little bit more what we've seen. But again, different teams, different kinds of bowlers, it's always tough, I think, until you see a couple of games to know that.

But yeah, it did look from yesterday that definitely under lights there's a little bit more pace, I think.

Q. Sikandar Raza was obviously quite a big difference between the sides. Last night both sides kind of had a wobble early on with the bat, and they just excelled in the middle period perhaps. Balbo last night was talking about that middle overs and how for a while now that's been something you guys are talking about, trying to be a bit more incisive maybe in the middle overs. Were you listening to those conversations and thinking you can add something maybe with the ball?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, look, I think Raza played brilliantly last night, I suppose on a pitch where not too many other players during the whole day maybe played the way he did. He came out and from ball one had real intent, hit the ball clean and made use of that short boundary square, but then also probably hurt us a little bit having the other pocket. That knock was definitely the difference.

As always, I'll always be ready with the ball if Andy needs, if that's an option, so yeah, I'll keep chipping away in training and make sure I'm ready if a chance comes.

Q. George Munsey obviously got runs yesterday. He's a strange case for left-handers because his splits versus spin is the opposite of what you think so he actually excels against off spin as a left-hander; and Aqeel Hussain, you dobbed him up really early yesterday at the powerplay. Are you looking at that and going, right, get me involved; that's my matchup?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, look, I'll always be ready to bowl. As I said, I'll keep doing what I need to do. I know Nathan has been backing me since he's come on board, and he's been fantastic, I think, for all the spinners. Yeah, look, Munsey played well yesterday. As you said, he is quite a unique batter in the way he plays, probably both seam and spin, hits the ball slightly unconventional areas, but again, I think that's probably why he's had some success.

Look, we'll have our plans to him, and as always, if there's an option for me to chip in, then I'll be ready to go.

Q. We talked about the middle overs with the ball. With the bat, you've lost a few games like that during the summer where you start well with the ball, and they get away, you pull them back a little bit, and then with the bat you feel like you're chasing a par score, but the powerplay kind of takes out the game, and then yourself, Curtis, Mark, even Barry slogged a few last night, kind of pulled it back a little bit, but the game is almost gone by the time you get out there. Is that how you feel when you're out there? You're four down, inside six overs and you're walking out to bat, does that change how you have had your success, because you've had a lot of success coming in much later in the back end. I wonder what's your thought process when you're going out there in those situations? There's three or four times now this year that's happened to you.

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, look, obviously we were a little bit under the pump when I went out to bat, four down within the powerplay yesterday, but those things can happen. Myself and Curtis kind of took a couple of overs to get used to the wicket a little bit, and we felt like we actually could score with the rate. We had a few overs, then we started building up, going at 11s, 12s, and that was what we needed from then on in.

But unfortunately just lost wickets, myself, Curtis and Gareth, probably the three who all kind of got to that point where we were probably ready to kick on and try and play that same innings that Raza played that would win the game. But unfortunately, it all just kind of fell away a little bit.

Again, I think we took the right options, I suppose, in terms of the game, and just didn't really come off as we would have liked it yesterday, and as I said, the difference to the game probably was that knock by Raza, and none of us managed to continue that on or hit the ball the way he did.

Q. He had a lot of success square. Obviously you guys were bowling a bit shorter to him. You've had a lot of your success hitting down the ground during the summer; Irish pitches maybe are a little bit fuller. How are you adapting to that challenge because you're not going to get that same amount of deliveries in your arc on these Aussie pitches. How are you going about adapting and trying to hit in different areas to what you've done this summer?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, look, it's a really interesting ground, I think, for cricket, because as you say it is so short square, but the bowlers know that, so they're going to be bowling trying to get guys to hit a little bit straighter and making sure if it is a square shot, it's a high bumper or maybe wider, whatever it is. It's a really interesting challenge that we've over the first day, so yeah, again, it's probably being smart as best as possible. When you're batting, it's always trying to play the shot with the highest possibility of scoring runs, and generally speaking, without giving yourself an option you need to get out, as well.

Again, trying to play smart cricket. There's some big pockets out on that field. There's a lot of 2s, 3s, 4s when you can hit the ball clean. As we saw yesterday, Gareth Delany hit one six straight, and Raza might have got one maybe away, but more so it's going to be those square boundaries, so definitely trying to be smart with that, making sure you're playing to your strengths as well as what's the best chance of scoring runs.

Q. Josh Little had a good game, ending with three wickets and only conceding six an over. Still relatively young. How have you seen him develop?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, look, Josh has been superb over the last number of years. Being left arm seamer, being able to swing the ball at pace, he has the skills, as well, with the slower balls and at the death, as well. So look, he's one who's so exciting to watch. He's so young, as well, and really pays a lot of attention to detail in terms of professionalism and his preparation.

Look, he's someone who's so exciting. I think the sky's the limit for him, and hopefully he can keep performing for us because having him running in, swinging that new ball and being able to bowl through the middle and take wickets to the death is vital for us.

Look, he's an exciting one to watch and fantastic to see him go well the first game.

Q. Can we expect any changes to the side for your next game?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: I suppose that'll be more a discussion for Andy and the coaching staff, so yeah, probably not much more I could say on that.

Q. Talking about the coaching staff, what was kind of the message after the loss last night?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, look, again, these games come so quick. You have to try and pick up as much as you can from the loss. Obviously it's not ideal. It's not how you want to start the competition. But again, you need to learn as quick as you can, have those discussions straight away, and bounce back. We've got two games over the next four days, and it's our job to come out and give it absolutely everything, and that's what we'll be doing. There's no point in really waking up this morning thinking too much about yesterday. It's all about the next two matches.

Everyone has been pretty clear about that. I think the mood in the camp was in a good place this morning, that that's what we need to do now, and everyone is focused now because yesterday is gone and tomorrow we play Scotland, and we win that match and we're back in a good place. I think that's what we'll be trying to do.

Q. West Indies are obviously the favourites to win this group, and their defeat yesterday, does that make it harder for them to qualify would you say? How many permutations do you think are coming up?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, I think this knockout cricket is fantastic in the sense that you always think before the tournament you kind of pick games that seem to be important games or the big game, but as we've seen so far in two days of this World Cup, anything can happen. Every match is the most important match, and you never really know how it's all going to pan out, as we saw yesterday with some great wins for Scotland and also Namibia in the other group.

Again, all we can do is win tomorrow, beat Scotland and put ourselves in a spot to win again then on Friday.

But again, I think it's just so exciting how this knockout cricket works with four in the group. A lot of the games can become the big game, so to speak.

Q. Andy confirmed that he wanted to chase yesterday after winning the toss. Is that the team plan? Obviously you've got the back end of senior management he said, but do you prefer chasing?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, I suppose we've done a lot of that this summer and we had a lot of success with it across a number of the games. So it's definitely something that they've spoken about. Felt also last night under lights, the ball did skid on, came on quite nicely, and in the back half, albeit we did lose some wickets in the powerplay, so I guess that would have been a lot of the reasons behind what we did.

Again, with the toss in the game yesterday, it didn't feel like the conditions changed massively in that sense. Yeah, definitely a bit of a team plan and something we've done well this year so far.

Q. Just coming back to the dueling, obviously it could be hard to get a look if Ireland stick their usual 16 overs of pace and four overs of spin with Gareth and Simi, the first two to be called on. Is that the way you see it coming forward?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, again, through the summer, game by game, they had to use my differently, so as always, I'll be ready to go if needed. The opportunities might arise with the right situation in the game with the right batters that suit me at that period of the game.

As always, I'll just keep working away with my bowling, knowing I can chip in. I had an opportunity a couple times this summer and was able to do that.

Q. Scotland beat West Indies in the first game. What's your plan against Scotland? Is there any change in the playing 11 or are you going with the same team?

GEORGE DOCKRELL: Yeah, look, obviously Scotland started really well yesterday, played a great game of cricket. George Munsey putting some runs on the board and a decent total and then they squeezed quite well in the middle. Again, we'll be able to look at what they did yesterday, how they played in that day game and try and pick up a few things, and look, we'll have our own plans, as well, having come into this World Cup with them to what they're going to bring to the game.

I suppose big thing for us, as well, is probably trying to execute a little bit better in terms of what we can do with ball and bat, and I think trying to put together innings with the bat -- yesterday we never really quite got that momentum going. I think anytime we got a partnership that looked like it was going to threaten, we lost wickets at those key times.

For us, we're aware of what Scotland can bring to the table, and I think we need to concentrate on that alongside delivering what we can do with both bat and ball.