KFC BBL|12
The young allrounder has developed a new sense of self belief after securing victory for his side last night with a brilliant final over, brushing away any lingering doubts in his mind
Jack Paynter
15 January 2023, 01:32 PM AEST
@jackpayn
Will Sutherland had been there before and it didn't end well.
Defending 13 off the final over in last night's thrilling Melbourne derby, Sutherland revealed his nightmare finish to Jason Holder from two years ago was still fresh in his mind.
"A few flashbacks were happening with the over I bowled to Jason Holder and he got a good piece of me," Sutherland told cricket.com.au post-match.
Tasked then with defending 16 runs from the final six balls, Sutherland conceded 4, 4, 6 as the West Indian star got the Sixers home with a ball to spare in their BBL|10 clash on the Gold Coast.
It was a vastly different story under the roof at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night as the 23-year-old conceded just five in the final over to put to bed any lingering doubts and secure his side a crucial six-run victory.
His wide yorker to Nick Larkin with six required for a Super Over from the last ball was millimetre perfect, a stark contrast to the same delivery he attempted to bowl to Holder that he crunched over long off for six in December 2020.
Sutherland is fast becoming the spearhead allrounder the Renegades and particularly Victoria so desperately needed following the departure of James Pattinson during the offseason.
He bowled Victoria to a final-day Marsh Sheffield Shield victory with four second innings wickets against NSW in the last game before the KFC BBL|12 break and now he's repeated the feat for the Renegades last night – the third time he has bowled the final over of the match this tournament.
The right-arm quick had earmarked his death bowling as a key focus for this season in a chat with cricket.com.au's Unplayable Podcast ahead of the 2022-23 summer.
And he's delivering in spades; he's the bowler Victorian captain Peter Handscomb throws the ball to break a partnership and one Renegades skippers Nic Maddinson and Aaron Finch can now trust to bowl the clutch overs.
"It's all really mental for me," Sutherland said.
"I think I've had the skills there and it's not even about practice, it's just my mindset.
"I'm just putting technical queues in my head for each ball. So with the yorker I'm just trying to feel a bit more slingy and that's all I'm thinking about in my head.
"Those technical queues are just a couple of things that are specific to each ball that I'm trying to bowl, and it helps me clear my head and not let anything else negative come into my mind at the time.
"It just clears the head that way rather than thinking 'oh, he's going to hit me for six or whatever', so that was my process at the end."
Sutherland says his job was made easy by the work fellow Renegades bowlers Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Ruwantha Kellapotha and Fawad Ahmed had put in across the back half of the Stars innings as they managed just 14 runs in the final four overs.
But he also admits the confidence he's gleaned from his terrific start to the season with both bat and ball for Victoria is starting to pay dividends in the shortest format.
"Having those senior players backing me in means a lot," Sutherland said.
"Finchy was great out there, pumping me up and saying that I can't miss and that I'm the man so that really gives me a lot of confidence to hear that from his calibre of a player."
Sutherland's batting was also a focus heading into the season, declaring he was "always trying to be genuine allrounder" and bat as high as possible.
Prior to this season he'd only averaged more than 20 once in five summers with the Renegades and Victoria and his top score was 66, but he cast that aside to peel off his maiden first-class century under pressure against South Australia in the first match of the season.
He's also played several powerful 'finishing' knocks for the Renegades – most notable his 40 off 29 against the Hurricanes on Christmas Eve and 31 off 14 against the Strikers last Tuesday – leading retired great Mark Waugh to call for the 'Gades coaches to move him up the order.
"I have put in a lot of work with a batting over the years, so it's been great to get a few rewards this season," he said.
"I'd say in the past I've thought too much about technique or what (other) people are thinking at the time.
"So I've just really cleared my head and tried to be really aggressive and intimidating out there and use my height."
The Renegades now have a five-day break until they travel to Sydney to take on David Warner's Thunder as they eye their first finals appearance since their maiden BBL title four seasons ago.
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Sutherland casts flashbacks aside to deliver at the death – cricket.com.au
