Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
'Thanks for spoiling a really good game of cricket': Ravi Shastri on Pat Cummins' 'bizarre', 'unreal' IPL fifty vs MI
Pat Cummins equalled the record for the fastest-ever IPL half century and finished with an eye-watering 56 off just 15 balls to help KKR chase down a target of 162 with four overs to spare.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri was all praise for Pat Cummins' "bizarre" knock that almost single-handedly won the match for Kolkata Knight Riders against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday. Cummins equalled the record for the fastest-ever IPL half century and finished with an eye-watering 56 off just 15 balls to help KKR chase down a target of 162 with four overs to spare.
"It's a bitter, bitter pill to swallow," said Shastri on Star Sports about how the Mumbai Indians might be feeling. "That was bizarre. It's like someone giving you a chocolate and before you can say 'thank you' it's in the other guy's mouth and he is saying 'thank you'"
Cummins came in when it looked like MI had take control of the match, having sent back the dangerous Andre Russell. KKR still needed 61 to win off 40 deliveries. The Australia Test captain's initial onslaught reduced that requirement to 35 needed off 30 balls at the start of the 15th over. He smacked 35 runs in it to finish the match in that over itself.
"It was unreal. 35 runs in an over. You have to start thinking when you saw a match like this in which the other team had the upper hand to an extent. Then it goes maybe 60-40 towards the Mumbai Indians. Come the next over, it's over. It's been a long time since I have seen a match like this and I've seen a lot of cricket.
"Look at the striking. He came out with a mission. He went for 49 runs in his four overs and he said, 'I'm going to get those runs and more'. My word he spanked it all around the ground. There is hardly any mishits in that innings. Unbelievable," said Shastri.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma admitted after the match that they did not expect Cummins to do what he ended up doing. The 28-year-old, who has been the No.1 ranked Test bowler for well over four years, was seemingly dismissed off the fifth ball of the 16th over but it was deemed a no ball for height. Suryakumar Yadav, who had scored a half century earlier in the day in what was his first match after returning from injury, seemed to have pulled off a brilliant catch on the ropes but the batters only ended up running two off that ball. Cummins then equalled the record for the fastest IPL half century off the ball that was rebowled before hitting a six off the last to win the match.
"Like Rohit Sharma said, it is not going to be easy to digest. Look at the striking, he was picking his spots, everything coming from the meat of the bat.
"Even that mistimed shot almost went all the way, great effort (in the field) but it was a no ball. He ran the two, hit the next one for four before you could bat your eyelids, the last one went for six and that is it. Game, set and match. It's like someone walking past them would tell him, 'Thanks for spoiling a really good game of cricket'," said Shastri.
