"I am not sure what happened there"- Shaun Pollock baffled by impact player Abdul Samad's batting for SRH vs MI
Former South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock was shocked to see the lack of intent and execution from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Abdul Samad in their loss against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Tuesday.
Samad walked out to bat when SRH really needed a push to try and chase down 66 runs off 36 balls. While it seemed achievable, the youngster just couldn't connect well, scoring just nine runs off 12 balls. The fact that SRH lost by just 14 runs made this innings from Samad even puzzling for Pollock.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after MI's win over SRH, here's what Shaun Pollock had to say about Abdul Samad's knock:
"Samad's performance, I am not sure what happened there. As a retained player, he didn't look like anywhere near the nick he needed to be to just try and contribute."
Shaun Pollock also shed light on how SRH wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen played one shot too many and threw away a solid start. Klaasen had already smashed Piyush Chawla for 20 runs in four deliveries, but was dismissed on the final ball of the over trying to hit another six. On this, Pollock added:
"The biggest disappointment for SRH was Klaasen. I know it feels strange but in the over where he took down Piyush Chawla, Klaasen did all the damage that he needed to. He could have smothered the final ball to mid wicket for a couple or a four. The kind of form he is in, he would have won them the game in the 19th over."
Shaun Pollock on MI's bowling performance
Shaun Pollock was impressed with the way the Mumbai Indians defended their total of 192 with an inexperienced bowling attack. Despite some big names missing, the likes of Cameron Green, Riley Meredith and Arjun Tendulkar stepped up in crunch moments at the backend to ensure MI closed the game out.
However, Pollock feels bigger challenges lie ahead for this bowling attack. He stated:
"The fact that they (SRH) got so close will be a concern for MI. Much better performance today, but when put under pressure to defend a total, that's where they will have concerns. Green stepped up brilliantly with the ball. They paid big money to bring him in and will be happy with his performance."
Mumbai will now play their next game against the Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, April 22.