Mumbai Indians' Coach Jayawardene to continue with Pace-heavy attack, despite surfaces getting slower by day

Abudhabi: With every passing day, the pitches in the UAE are getting slower, but Mahela Jayawardene, head coach of the Mumbai Indians, is eager to continue with their pace-heavy attack.

"I can not say that right now because, in this competition, the fast bowlers still have a greater role to play-be it in the Power play, middle overs and the backend," said Mahela when asked if they would re-think their strategy ahead of their IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

As the ball has stopped a bit after pitching, several teams are depending on their spinners now, forcing the batsmen to muscle the ball around instead of timing it.

The former Sri Lankan batsman said that the standard of their fast bowling, led by Jasprit Bumrah, provides them with ample opportunities.

"We have very good spinners operating in the playing eleven right now. There are a few guys who are on the wings, who may look at giving certain positions and match-ups. We're going to look into that if the conditions suit, but I'm happy with the combination we have and the way they've operated," said Jayawardene.

The head coach also said that, following the insistence of skipper Rohit Sharma, Australian pacer James Pattison was drafted into the team.

"Overall as a coach I am happy, but there are definitely areas we can improve and keep improving because the tournament is always going to get tougher and tougher at the backend," he said.

(Reported by Safa Maryam)