Tom Moody, the former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach, criticised Mumbai Indians’ (MI) approach against Rashid Khan in the two sides’ IPL 2020 encounter in Sharjah.
Batting first, MI slammed 208 runs in 20 overs, but just 22 of those came in Rashid’s four overs, which Moody thinks wasn’t enough. He pointed out that with the match being played in Sharjah, “where even their mishits are going to go for a four or a six”, Mumbai should have taken at least 30 runs off Rashid.
[breakout id=”0″][/breakout]
Even in the 16th over of the MI innings, the leg-spinner was treated with caution as Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya took just two runs off the over, one of which was from a wide. On top of conceding just 22 runs, he picked the all-important wicket of Quinton de Kock, MI’s top-scorer with a 39-ball-67.
Open Account Offer. Up to ₹4000 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365. Min deposit ₹400. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of 12 times qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code WISDEN can be used during registration, but does not change the offer amount in any way. Bet on the IPL here. 18+ please gamble responsibly.
“I was a little bit surprised how over-cautious they were against Rashid Khan,” Moody told ESPNCricinfo. “He only got hit for two boundaries in his four overs. Again bowling exceptionally well, but I would have liked to have seen Mumbai put him under more pressure.
“At the end of the day, they are playing at a venue where even their mishits are going to go for a four or a six, and to me, Rashid Khan walking away with 1-22 off his four overs is not a good enough return from Mumbai’s point of view.
“It’s an outstanding return for Sunrisers and Rashid. But it’s not good enough [for Mumbai]. Rashid Khan needed to go for a minimum of 30 runs at that venue.”
Krunal Pandya in his four-ball stay: 6, 4, 4, 6 🔥
No-nonsense hitting!#MIvSRH | #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/slmX8hInMy
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) October 4, 2020
Every IPL 2020 match at Sharjah, leading up to the MI v SRH encounter, had scores of 200 or more in both their innings. And if not for Krunal Pandya’s four-ball-20 in the last over, Mumbai could have brought an end to the streak.