Kolkata Knight Riders paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile lashed out at IPL rules that forced the players onto the field well past midnight during the Eliminator on Wednesday.
Coulter-Nile, who picked three wickets to star in KKR’s win, said the IPL needed to have a relook at the rules.
“Well, no one really got nervous until when they went out there for the last look at about 12:40am. It sort of looked like I didn’t want to play. Rules probably need to be looked at, I mean its 2am, you can’t be playing cricket at 2 o’ clock,” he told the media at an interaction after the match.
READ | Kolkata Knight Riders’ smart play, rain pour cold water on Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Aussie said chasing a small target wouldn’t have been easy on that sort of surface and justified his side’s strategy to go for the kill right from ball one while chasing the reduced 48-run target.
“Well, 130 was a par score but it was a difficult wicket definitely. The cross-seam was holding up and the slower ones were getting a little bit of grip,” Coulter-Nile said. “So, it was tough to play. But once the weather came in, it got a lot easier to bat. Once the ball’s wet, it actually skids through. There wasn’t a lot of turn or anything like that so I thought maybe 140… Ten runs make a lot of difference.”
{{/usCountry}}“Well, 130 was a par score but it was a difficult wicket definitely. The cross-seam was holding up and the slower ones were getting a little bit of grip,” Coulter-Nile said. “So, it was tough to play. But once the weather came in, it got a lot easier to bat. Once the ball’s wet, it actually skids through. There wasn’t a lot of turn or anything like that so I thought maybe 140… Ten runs make a lot of difference.”
{{/usCountry}}Rain played spoilsport as a second spell of showers ensured Kolkata wouldn’t have to bat for 20 overs. They got a reduced target. However, they were in for a bit of scare, losing three wickets in the space of six deliveries, which ignited a bit of hope in the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp. The required rate was just eight runs per over, but the Knights seemed desperate to finish off things quickly and ended up squandering wickets.
READ | How Sunrisers Hyderabad were caught out by Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2017
“It wasn’t a big target but on that wicket you really never know. You got 10 wickets in hand, there are six overs, there’s no point defending. If the top six batsmen go hard and one of them comes off then you win the game. So I think we batted well. Of course the run-out was a bit silly but everything else was just fine,” he added.
Coulter-Nile was the most successful bowler for Kolkata Knight Riders as he finished with three wickets, including that of the dangerous Kane Williamson. He bowled the penultimate over of Sunrisers Hyderabad innings and gave away just three runs while sending back Vijay Shankar and Chris Jordan.
“Today was quite hard. (That) Cross-seamers into the wicket (will be helpful) was communicated through the bowlers Umesh (Yadav) and Boultie (Trent Boult). I think I was bowling the innings’ seventh or eighth over when they said ‘Look, cross-seamers into the wicket, throw them hard’. You really rely on your teammates to give you some pointers on what to do…,” he said.
Stay updated with the latest IPL Live Score and get exclusive insights with the IPL Match Today, IPL Points Table match highlights, and more. Explore a comprehensive Cricket Schedule, track the race for the Purple Cap and IPL Orange Cap in IPL 2024, check Virat Kohli performance and stay ahead with all the cricket-related updates on the Hindustan Times website and app.
Stay updated with the latest IPL Live Score and get exclusive insights with the IPL Match Today, IPL Points Table match highlights, and more. Explore a comprehensive Cricket Schedule, track the race for the Purple Cap and IPL Orange Cap in IPL 2024, check Virat Kohli performance and stay ahead with all the cricket-related updates on the Hindustan Times website and app.