Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have stuck with Shahbaz Ahmed all through the season, despite having had little to show for that faith. Leading into Qualifier 2, Shahbaz had taken three wickets at an average of 75, and an economy rate of 10.71. His 189 runs had come at a pedestrian strike-rate, especially compared to the fire-starters up the order. But on Friday night, against Rajasthan Royals (RR), he delivered a stellar performance.
Shahbaz contributed a handy 18 when his team was in a difficult position, but it was his heroics with the ball that truly made the difference, putting SRH ahead in the game. The credit also goes to Pat Cummins, who has led the side admirably and was instrumental in investing in Shahbaz and deploying him at a crucial time in the match. Cummins’ astute captaincy and Shahbaz’s all-round brilliance were key factors in SRH’s eventually comfortable 36-run victory
What Shahbaz Ahmed did in a high-stakes encounter was simply play to his strengths and keep things straightforward. His execution was spot on, consistently hitting the right areas and making the most of the conditions on offer. The ball gripped and turned, making life extremely difficult for the RR batters in the middle. Cummins utilised Shahbaz exceptionally well, bringing him on at the appropriate moments and setting the right fields for him. Shahbaz’s dismissals of both RR’s X-factor players, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, immediately turned the game in favour of SRH.
“When I went out to bat, I got an understanding of the wicket then itself and that’s when I knew how I should implement my bowling abilities on this wicket,” Shahbaz said after the match. With the final coming up on Sunday, SRH’s chances of an upset victory would be greatly enhanced if Shahbaz could perform an encore. Having proved that he can be a big-match player, the challenge now is to show that he can back up such a performance.
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