The duo of Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner work in grand scale. They are not the men prone to subtlety or going down easily. They hardly repeat the tactics that have gained them victories over the hard-hitting batsmen in the death overs, but ensure their methods be regulated by the infinite variety of match situations.

Twenty 20 cricket overall has evolved in leaps and bounds and so has death bowling which is now a specialist’s job. With high scoring games also resulting in nail-biting finishes, they now say that modern-day cricket has become a batsman’s game. But, an ardent fan of the sport would equally enjoy the sound of the willow meeting the ball as much as he would enjoy a yorker hitting the stumps and also cherish a moment when a death bowler outsmarts the batsman by bowling a dot ball, force a false shot and make things happen against the run of play.

IPLT20.COM caught up with two fine death bowlers – James Faulkner and Dwayne Bravo - and spoke to them about the ‘Art of Death Bowling’ and the challenges faced.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. Congratulations on the third win on the trot. Not a bad start for a team making its debut in IPL?

Dwayne Bravo - It’s a great feeling and it is always good to win cricket games. It’s a new team, new city and new owners, but I think what keeps us calm is the management team; the coach and the captain are very relaxed. Also, when we have international players in the side who have conquered success, it makes it easy.

James Faulkner - It was exciting to put runs on the board and 3 – 0 is not a bad way to start the season. But, IPL is a long road and we need to put up good form throughout the tournament and importantly at the back end.

Q. Modern day cricket in general has become a batsman’s game. Agree or disagree?

Dwayne Bravo - Agree. It’s definitely a batsman’s game, small grounds and flat wickets. There are times when the conditions favour the bowlers bringing a balance to the game. But mostly it is a batsman’s game.

James Faulkner - Definitely. Everyone comes to a game to watch fours and sixes. No one really comes to watch us take wickets. We have to adjust, with small grounds and flat wickets and play on.

Q. Talking about the ‘Art of Death Bowling’, how do you prepare yourself for death bowling and how different is the training?

Dwayne Bravo - For me personally, I prepare in the nets keeping the opponent team in mind. For instance, if I am trying to bowl to MS Dhoni or Kieron Pollard, I set the field in my mind and try and execute the plan in the nets so that when it is time for the game, I am confident and ready to deliver. It is all about preparing in the nets with a certain mindset and going into the game.

James Faulkner - For me it’s the same. I practice in the nets and then go into a game, which is the real test – being under pressure and huge crowds in the stadium against the best batsmen. The batting line-up in this IPL comprises world-class players and any team can win the tournament. There might be times while bowling that a certain ball will not come well, so one will have to adjust your game accordingly.

Q. With so much pressure on the death bowlers - how do you manage to keep yourself focused and control your emotions?

Dwayne Bravo - I think it’s a challenge and if you really want to enjoy the competition then it is the ‘situation’ you have to welcome with open arms. For me, I enjoy this particular challenge and love when batsmen come after me. I like to back my ability to contain any batsman in the world and it is a test of your confidence and how good you really are.

James Faulkner - I feel that you have to keep bowling in the right areas and do your job well. You’ve got to be prepared to look like an idiot from time to time and travel around the park and also a bit like a hero. All in all if you can contribute to the team, there is nothing more satisfying than bowling the last few overs in the game and doing well.

Q. How important is the art of bluffing in death bowling? Bluffing with deliveries, field placements and also with facial expressions.

Dwayne Bravo - Nowadays batsmen have an idea as to where the bowler will bowl. So a bluff is very important to catch a batsman off guard. Like Jimmy (James Faulkner) said earlier that you might look a bit like an idiot when the bluff does not work in your favour. It is a bit of a give and take and I feel that for bowling in those situations you got to have guts and confidence to contribute to the team.

James Faulkner – Agree 100 percent.

Q. Who do you think is the toughest batsman to defend against and why?

James Faulkner - How many names can I take? (laughs). There is AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, MS Dhoni.

Dwayne Bravo - Batsmen like de Villiers, Kohli, Gayle, Dhoni, Pollard are the players you would want to bowl to and contain them. When you know you have done that job, that is when you can give a tap on your shoulder and walk back with your head held high.