Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer reckons Royal Challengers Bangalore should have trusted Shahbaz Ahmed with one more over after they lost their opening match of IPL 2022 by five wickets against Punjab Kings at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai on Sunday.
Ahmed was given only one over by new RCB captain Faf du Plessis in which the left-arm spinner conceded just six runs. In fact, Ahmed had bowled the last over of the powerplay and had done a decent job. Ahmed is not a big turner of the ball and bowls wicket to wicket.
However, Faf du Plessis placed more trust in his fast bowling battery. RCB lead pacer Mohammed Siraj had a poor day at the office as he was taken for 59 runs in his four overs. Siraj conceded a total of 14 wides in his spell while RCB conceded a total of 22 extras in their run-chase.
In fact, all the RCB bowlers were on the expensive side as Punjab Kings batters kept scoring at a good rate. Furthermore, Anuj Rawat bungled Odean Smith when the all-rounder was only on one run.
Wasim Jaffer said while talking to ESPN Cricinfo, “Shahbaz Ahmed bowled just one over and I think he should have bowled more. They should have trusted him with one more or maybe more.”
The former domestic giant added that chasing more than 200 runs is a special victory for Punjab Kings. Odeon Smith added the finishing touches for PBKS as he hammered 25 runs off just eight balls.
“To chase down a total of 200 plus is s special victory. At one point there was some nervous energy as they lost a couple of wickets, but the cameo from Odean Smith and the way Shahrukh Khan batted, and obviously the top order batters. It was a brilliant chase. The wicket was really good to bat on and the slower ball wasn’t holding up onto the pitch, but they batter beautifully.”
PBKS will next face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Friday.
