IPL 2020 : “Have been playing like this for the last couple of years,” Shahbaz Nadeem overjoyed to have contributed in crucial game
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Shahbaz Nadeem
Sunrisers Hyderabad stormed into the playoffs steamrolling table-toppers Mumbai Indians by 10 wickets. SRH did a great job restricting the defending champions to 149 before chasing it comfortably with 17 balls in hand. The SRH opening pair of David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha smashed impressive half-centuries to take their side home.
But it was left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who stole the show in the first innings. And was adjudged man of the match for his excellent figures of 2 for 19. Nadeem scalped the important wickets of in-form Suryakumar Yadav and dangerous Krunal Pandya to cripple the MI innings. Nadeem after propelling his side into the playoffs playing only his fifth game of the season opines that it is always important to seize the opportunities that come your way.
“I have been playing like this for the last couple of years. It is important that whenever you get your chances you need to give your 100% and that’s what came out today,” Shahbaz said in the post-match presentation.
Thought it was the right time to bowl the carrom ball
The 31-year-old shares that he planned to skid the ball on the slow wicket and apparently it worked. It was in a similar fashion that he outfoxed dangerous-looking Suryakumar as he fired the ball wide outside his off-stump. Nadeem adds that he has been perfecting his carrom ball to add variety to his bowling. And he felt it was the right time to unleash it in the crucial game against MI.
“I have been working on the carrom ball for a couple of years and I thought it was the right time to bowl it because they have a lot of left-handers in their side. The round arm delivery doesn’t bounce much, but it also depends where it pitches – if it pitches on the leather it stays low and if it pitches on the seam it bounces extra. Today I was looking to get it to skid from the leather,” he further adds.
The Jharkhand spinner is glad having contributed to his side’s comprehensive victory. Nadeem points out that accuracy is paramount when bowling in a small ground like Sharjah.
“Contributing to the team boosts you. Everyone has been contributing and my job is to fit in. This is a very small ground but the pitches are turning slower, so as a spinner, if you pitch it in the right areas, it does work,” the left-arm spinner signs off.
The qualification race for playoffs came down to the last game of the league stage as MI, Delhi Capitals, SRH and Royal Challengers Bangalore advanced to the next round of the league. MI and DC face in the first qualifier of IPL 2020 on Thursday while SRH and RCB will play the eliminator the next day.
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Anshuman Mahapatra
(1496 Articles Published)