Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra reckons that Kolkata Knight Riders are not going to miss Pat Cummins as a bowler in the second half of IPL 2021. It is reported by Sydney Morning Herald that Cummins will not return for the second phase of IPL 2021, which will be played in the UAE in the September-October window.
The renowned commentator feels Lockie Ferguson is a better choice as a T20 bowler and if he is available then Cummins’ absence will not be felt by the franchise. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins was in red-hot form before the 14th season of the Indian Premier League was indefinitely postponed by BCCI due to the surge in number of cases.
Cummins scalped nine wickets in seven matches for Kolkata Knight Riders and he was the pick of the bowlers for the Eoin Morgan-led team. Furthermore, Cummins scored 93 runs, including a blistering knock against Chennai Super Kings.
“KKR already have Lockie Ferguson. And in my opinion, if you have to pick one of them just as a T20 bowler, I will pick Lockie Ferguson ahead of him (Cummins). If Lockie is available and plays, it is absolutely fine. I don’t think they are going to miss Pat Cummins the bowler,” said Chopra on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra added Cummins’ record isn’t that great as a bowler in the T20 format as he had scalped 12 wickets in 14 matches of previous season of IPL.
“His (Cummins’) performance has not been great as a bowler. If we talk about last year, he took just 12 wickets in 14 matches, and that was in the UAE, where the remaining matches will be played. The economy was okay, less than eight. This year also, he took only nine wickets in seven matches, and he was more expensive as well, almost nine runs per over,” observed Chopra.
On the other hand, the former KKR batsman acknowledged that Cummins made a difference with a bat in the first half of IPL 2021 and it is an area where Ferguson might not be able to contribute.
“As a batsman, his performance has been decent. It was not that good in the UAE; he did hit a fifty but had an average of twenty. This time he has hit a fifty, but the average is 31, and he has a strike rate of 166,” added Chopra.
