Hazlewood and Siraj, guilty of RCB’s defeat, together plundered 100 runs in 6 overs, could not take a single wicket
You must have often heard about century partnerships while batting. Something different was seen in the match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
During bowling, if 2 bowlers together in a T20 match plunder 100 runs in 6 overs without taking a single wicket, then the condition of that team can be understood. Josh Hazlewood and Mohammad Siraj can be considered as the villains of the match for the crushing defeat to Bengaluru. Be sure to take part in this poll before proceeding.
English batsman broke down on Kangaroo bowler
Josh Hazlewood, leading Bengaluru’s fast bowling attack, conceded 64 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 16. During this he did not get a single wicket. Actually, two great England batsmen Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone fell in front of him.
Now it is known to all that like the India-Pakistan matches, the thrill is at its peak in the Ashes series played between Australia and England. Seeing the Kangaroo bowler in front, both the batsmen batted vigorously. Both of them kept the bowling of Hazlewood open.
Hazlewood continued to bowl in slots
Hazlewood was slamming the ball into Bairstow’s slot and it was raining for sixes. At times it seemed that Hazlewood was bowling like a club cricket bowler. Bengaluru would not have expected such simple bowling from a bowler playing international cricket.
The length on which he would have hit, Hazlewood would have bowled the next ball on the same length. RCB had less options in bowling, so they had to fulfill Josh Hazlewood’s quota of 4 overs. During this, first Bairstow and then Livingstone cooled all the enthusiasm of Josh Hazlewood.
Siraj backs Hazlewood to the fullest
On the other hand, Mohammad Siraj, retained by RCB, today again proved that he cannot be called a reliable bowler in T20 cricket right now. When Hazlewood was being hit from one end, Captain Faf reposed confidence in Siraj from the other end. Siraj conceded 36 runs in 2 overs, shattering the trust of the captain. In this way, both the bowlers gave the gift of 100 runs to Punjab without taking a single wicket.
The helplessness of Virat Kohli’s face could be felt amidst the blazing shots of the Punjab Kings batsmen. He realized that the ease with which Hazlewood and Siraj were conceding runs could be overwhelming in the second innings. If the jugalbandi of both the bowlers continues like this, then RCB’s playoff dream, which has reached 14 points, may still be shattered.
Punjab back in playoff race
Punjab Kings registered a blistering 54-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday in IPL 2022. With this result, the Punjab team is back in the play-off race. PBKS have 12 points from 12 matches. RCB have 14 points from 13 matches and that too are in contention for the last four.
Batting first after losing the toss, Punjab scored 209 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs. Liam Livingston made 70 off 42 balls and Jonny Bairstow made 66 runs in 29 balls. Harshal Patel took four wickets. In reply, RCB’s team could only score 155 runs for 9 wickets. Glenn Maxwell scored 35 runs. Virat Kohli could not return to form. He got out after scoring 20 runs. Kagiso Rabada took the highest three wickets for Punjab.
