3 reasons why DC must drop Anrich Nortje from their playing 11 after loss to MI in IPL 2024
Delhi Capitals (DC) pacer Anrich Nortje recorded the second-most expensive spell in IPL history on Sunday (April 7) as he leaked 32 runs in the final over of the Mumbai Indians innings. As a result, the five-time champions posted a massive score of 234 in their allotted 20 overs.
Romario Shepherd tonked the experienced South African speedster to all corners of the Wankhede Stadium. Such was the power of Shepherd, that whatever Nortje bowled went out of the boundary.
He ended up conceding 65 runs in his four overs and picked up a couple of wickets. It was not the first time in the tournament that Nortje was been taken to the cleaners. His pace has worked in favor of the batters, and his lengths have been questionable.
DC gave a good account of themselves in the batting front with Tristan Stubbs scoring a magnificent 71* off 25 but the damage was already done in the first innings. The final over, which included four sixes and two fours proved to be the decisive factor in the game.
Nortje has picked six wickets in the four matches so far but has been nowhere close to his best. He has conceded 215 runs at an economy rate of 13.44 and it might be time for the Capitals to look beyond him.
Having said that, let us have a look at three reasons why DC must drop Anrich Nortje from the playing XI after the loss to Mumbai.
#3 Nortje has been the most expensive bowler in the tournament so far
Nortje has been all over the place in the 17th edition of the IPL. One of the quickest bowlers going around, Nortje has been at the receiving end of some heavyweight onslaughts. Currently, Nortje is 4th on the list for the worst economy rate in an IPL season in a minimum of four innings.
Nortje was blasted for 48 runs against the Rajasthan Royals which was made possible by a destructive final over from the blade of Riyan Parag. Nortje was left scratching his head as the youngster pummeled him for 25 runs in the final over.
Nortje returned with figures of 0/43 against the Chennai Super Kings. In the following game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, he took three wickets, but went on to concede 59 runs off his four-over spell.
#2 Nortje's variations have been missing
The rise of Anrich Nortje in world cricket was nothing short of phenomenal. He bounced out top-class batters with his pace and hard-length deliveries. Nortje has failed to land the ball in the hard lengths and even when he has managed to pitch in the right areas, he has been too predictable.
At his pace, the slower deliveries become very important to deceive the opposition batters. However, his slower deliveries haven't gripped on the surface and it has sat up nicely for the batter. He has missed his yorkers and has resulted in the bowlers making full use of his full-tosses.
#1 Nortje has looked clueless in the four matches so far
The greatness of a bowler doesn't entirely depend on how well he bowls in a particular match or a tournament, but on how well he can come back from a difficult situation. We have seen several high-scoring games in this IPL so far, with two of the biggest-ever IPL scores coming up in this season.
Nortje has picked up six wickets so far, but how he has conceded his runs has made him a burden for DC. In the final over against Mumbai, Nortje looked absolutely clueless and just kept going with the motion. A few days break might just help Nortje to address the issues and come back stronger.