IPL 2020: Pat Cummins made Steve Smith look like a lower-order batsman, says Brad Hogg
Former Australia left-arm unorthodox spinner Brad Hogg was extremely impressed with the way Pat Cummins bowled to Steve Smith in the IPL 2020 clash between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
Batting first, KKR posted a competitive total of 174, and RR had to have a good start with the bat to set up a platform for the run chase.
However, Cummins bowled a brilliant second over of the innings to Steve Smith. The RR skipper could not adjust to Cummins' pace and was trying to slog every single ball out of the park.
Struggling to time the ball, Smith edged one behind to Dinesh Karthik and his wicket set the tone for KKR for the rest of the innings.
"It was the second over in the chase where the game changed. Pat Cummins, the number one Test bowler in the world up against Steve Smith, the number one Test batsman in the world. Pat Cummins showed that he was worth the million dollars that was forked out for him this IPL. He made Steve Smith look like a lower-order batsman," Brad Hogg said on his YouTube channel.
"He had his footwork all over the shop. He was beating him on the outside edge and inside edge. Steve Smith started slogging and he nearly got out on the second-last ball of that over but finally got caught behind on the last ball," he further added.
Brad Hogg disappointed with the way Steve Smith approached Pat Cummins' over
Hogg was not happy with the way in which Steve Smith approached his innings and his strategy to deal with Cummins' bowling.
Knowing that Cummins was one of the main weapons in KKR's arsenal and that there were inexperienced bowlers like Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti to follow, Hogg expected Smith to play out the 27-year-old pacer.
But instead, Smith tried to attack Cummins and payed a huge price for it. KKR ended up winning the game by a decent margin of 37 runs.
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"Pat Cummins was way too good, way too quick, accurate and Steve Smith didn't have the answers. All Steve Smith had to do was play that over out and attack the likes of Mavi, Nagarkoti and the younger bowlers of that KKR outfit and RR would have been in a better position. But he didn't, he had a brain fade and that cost RR the game and gave KKR the win," Brad Hogg said.
KKR play their next game against the Delhi Capitals on Saturday in Sharjah, while RR will face the Royal Challengers Bangalore on the same day in Abu Dhabi.