5 instances when a bowler made a grand comeback after a disastrous opening spell
If a bowler starts a day awfully, it becomes an uphill task for him to make a valiant comeback in that game itself. His confidence goes for a toss and his captain too loses confidence in him. So for a bowler, it becomes a challenge to make a grand comeback in the game after being thrashed in his first few overs.
But there is another side of the coin too. In the shorter formats of the game, a bowler is expected to finish well. There lies the opportunity for him to make a grand comeback and stamp his authority on the game.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah just experienced this sort of a predicament in the encounter against Bangladesh in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016. Bumrah was having a terrible day in the field as he dropped a simple a catch of Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal and also conceded 4 runs courtesy of abhorrent fielding.
Also with the ball, Bumrah bowled a terrible second over in which he conceded 16 runs. However, the young man didn’t bog down under pressure and delivered when it mattered the most.
In the crucial penultimate over, Bumrah conceded just 6 runs and left Bangladesh needing 11 off the last over which they failed to do. Bumrah didn’t pick up any wickets but bowled exceptionally well under pressure as he kept the Bangladesh batsmen in check.
There are several instances like this which have happened in the World Cup history across the formats when a bowler came back well after a disastrous opening spell.
1. Ishant Sharma’s 18th over in the ICC Champion’s Trophy Final, 2013
From zero to hero, from being the potential antagonist to surprisingly become the protagonist- Ishant Sharma has seen it all in his topsy-turvy spell in the ICC Champion’s Trophy Final, 2013 against England.
Ishant conceded 27 runs in his first three overs and was without a wicket. Indian skipper MS Dhoni brought him in to bowl the 18th over when England required 28 runs off the last three overs. England batsman Eoin Morgan hit him for a six in the second ball of the over as the match looked dead and buried for India.
Then he bowled two consecutive wides to make matters worse for India. However, Ishant had the last laugh as he scalped two big wickets in his next two balls.
He got both the set batsmen Morgan and Bopara out and brought India back into the game once again. He finished his spell with a dot and a one. India defended 19 runs in the last two overs and scripted a memorable win to lift the coveted ICC Champion’s Trophy title.