Shaun Pollock, a former South African all-rounder, found Abdul Samad’s performance as a batsman for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during the game against Mumbai Indians (MI) to be confusing. Notably, MI defeated SRH by 14 runs on Tuesday, April 18 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad to claim their third victory of the IPL 2023 season.
By reducing SRH to 72 runs for the loss of four wickets during the run chase, the game was still in play. However, after a 55-run partnership, Riley Meredith and Piyush Chawla quickly bowled Mayank Agarwal and Heinrich Klaasen, who had helped the chase get back on track.
The team announced Abdul Samad as the Impact Player just as SRH began to falter in the pursuit despite being in a good position to steal the game. Samad was replaced, however he had no effect on the team because he could only muster nine runs off 12 balls before being run out. Shaun Pollock, a former cricket player, expressed confusion and criticism regarding Samad’s lack of desire to assist his team in crossing the finish line.
“With regard to Abdul Samad’s performance, I’m not sure what went down. He didn’t seem like the retained player he needed to be to even try to contribute, according to Pollock, who spoke to Cricbuzz.
SRH’s biggest letdown was Klaasen’s Shaun Pollock.
Klaasen might have made things better for the side, according to Pollock, if he had persisted in the pursuit for a little longer. Notably, in the 14th over, the flamboyant hitter pounded experienced leggie Piyush for 20 runs off four balls. On the penultimate ball of the same over, Piyush, however, successfully atoned for his transgressions by getting the SRH batter’s scalp.
“(Heinrich) Klaasen was (SRH’s) biggest letdown. I know it seems funny, but Klaasen caused all the damage he needed to in the round where he took out Piyush Chawla. The final ball could have been buried to mid-wicket for a pair or a four. With his current form, he would have won them the match in the 19th over, the speaker said.
India
