[Watch] Venkatesh Iyer picks up maiden wicket for Lancashire while bowling penultimate over in tense win over Northamptonshire
Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer's maiden country stint with Lancashire has got off to a rocky start, but he rose to the occasion in the team's four-run win over Northamptonshire on Sunday, August 11. He was tasked with bowling the crucial penultimate over in the contest that went right down the wire in Northampton.
The all-rounder went wicket-less across the first three matches for Lancashire and also struggled to be among the runs. Even in the recent clash against Northamptonshire, he scored only 15 runs off 17 deliveries while batting at No. 5, but made an impact with the ball in the second innings.
Chasing 241 runs for a win, Northamptonshire needed 21 runs off the last two overs with four wickets in hand. Iyer began the penultimate over on a shaky note, conceding seven runs off the first two balls, including a couple of wides and a boundary. However, he fought back with Ricardo Vasconcelos' wicket off the fourth delivery of the over.
Iyer, coming around the wicket, tried to bowl into the left-handed batter's body. Vasconcelos tried to heave the ball over the cover region by shuffling to his right and making room. However, he could only find the long-off fielder with his effort.
Have a look at the wicket right here:
Iyer concluded the over by conceding only one run off the last two deliveries and finished with figures of 1-40 after eight overs. Chris Green followed it up with a brilliant final over to defend the remaining 12 runs and handing Lancashire the win.
Iyer has scored 43 runs in four matches in the One-Day Cup so far
The county stint comes across as an ideal avenue for Iyer to remain match-fit during the Indian domestic off-season. He was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad that won the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) but is still far off from being considered for the national team.
He has bowled 12 overs for Lancashire in the One-Day Cup so far. Having got his first wicket, the all-rounder will be looking for more as it would help him get back to the national team.
However, apart from bowling, he needs to fire when it comes to his principal talent, which is his batting. So far, he has only scored 43 runs from four matches, with a high score of 15.