When S Sreesanth warned Jacques Rudolph, and got him out next ball
Former England all-rounder Rikki Clarke has revealed an amazing incident involving former India pacer S Sreesanth.
Clarke and S Sreesanth were teammates at Warwickshire in 2009, when the fast bowler decided to play county cricket to sharpen his skills.
The 39-year-old disclosed that during a game against Yorkshire, S Sreesanth had predicted Jacques Rudolph’s dismissal and got him out in the exact manner off the next ball.
Speaking to Sportskeeda’s Indranil Basu in an SK Live session on Facebook, Clarke termed the 38-year-old an “absolute character” and a bowler with “amazing skill”. Narrating the amusing incident involving Rudolph, he recalled:
"I remember we played a game in Scarborough against Yorkshire and Jacques Rudolph (former South African batsman) was batting. Sree was at the top of his mark, and he shouts down at Jacques Rudolph - ‘I always get you Jacques, always get you, always get you at slip’.”
What happened next was rather unbelievable. Clarke further revealed:
“Next ball Sree ran in, he (Rudolph) literally nicked him off to slip. Absolutely priceless. And then he goes - ‘I told you, I always get you’. Amazing character.”
Clarke admitted that the team management at Warwickshire was not a fan of the former Indian fast bowler’s long run-up. He said:
“He had an incredibly long run-up. I don’t think the captain and coach were too happy with his run-up, because it was hard to keep the over-rate on track. But, (he was a) very skilful bowler.”
S Sreesanth recently returned to competitive cricket
With the life ban slapped on him in connection with the IPL spot-fixing controversy revoked by the court, Sreesanth recently returned to competitive cricket, turning out for Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
He played five matches, in which he managed to pick up four wickets. The Kerala speedster has even listed his name for the upcoming IPL auction at a base price of Rs 75 lakh.
Speaking to Gulf News in an exclusive interview, S Sreesanth said:
"You can say I am in a dreamland. I played five matches (in SMAT) and the adrenaline rush was unbelievable. It was nice to catch up with Robin Uthappa, a contemporary of mine who is now playing for Kerala, and he told me that he has still not given up the hope of playing for India.”
As a Team India cricketer, S Sreesanth was part of the side's 2007 World T20 triumph in South Africa as well as the 2011 World Cup win at home.