‘Bowling 6 slower balls into the wicket in an over is not a matter of intelligence’ – Umesh Yadav lambasts KKR star after heartbreaking loss vs LSG

Cameron Green resumed bowling duties, as he rolled his arm for a couple of overs in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 9. However, while he did pick up the wicket of Rishabh Pant, the Australian all-rounder gave away 28 runs in his two overs.

In his second over, Green conceded 16 runs, making the equation favourable for the Super Giants, who won the match off the last ball. Vaibhav Arora couldn’t defend 14 runs in the last over, as Mukul Choudhary starred with an unbeaten 54 off 27 balls.

Former KKR pacer Umesh Yadav questioned Green’s intelligence while bowling the penultimate over despite being an experienced cricketer.

“From the T20 perspective, I always feel that when the game is so close, the 19th over is very important because you win or lose the game in that 19th over. If the bowler who bowls the 19th over bowls a good over, runs are left for the bowler who bowls the 20th. If he bowls a bad 19th over, you won’t have runs left,” the former KKR pacer said during a discussion on JioHotstar.

“Green could have done slightly better. He was very predictable. All were slower balls into the wicket. You might miss one or two balls, but how many balls will you miss because you also have to hit sixes? Bowling six slower balls into the wicket in an over is not a matter of intelligence, and that for a player who has played so much. It would have mattered had he saved even one six,” he added.

It was a reality check for Cameron Green that he is not a death bowler: Aakash Chopra

In the same discussion, Aakash Chopra opined that Cameron Green got a reality check that he doesn’t have the expertise needed to bowl at the death.

“It was a reality check for Cameron Green that he is not a death bowler. When you come into a league like the IPL, you get a reality check. A small kid, who has never played for India and hasn’t represented Rajasthan in double-digit games in any format, was standing in front of you, and he hit you for 16 runs,” he said.

Chopra noted that the Knight Riders were a little short on resources, as they had no other overseas bowler on their side other than Sunil Narine.

“You bowled two balls and you felt you would escape if you bowled that only. Then you were hit for a four and two sixes, and you conceded 16 runs. Of course, KKR’s hands are slightly tied because, barring Sunil Narine, they didn’t have an overseas bowler. Where they are making him bowl, it’s not his place,” Chopra observed.