Cricket

Mitchell Starc’s away-swinger ‘ball of the IPL 2024’: Matthew Hayden

Former Australian Matthew Hayden picked Mitchell Starc’s away-swinger in the IPL 2024 final against Sunrisers Hyderabad as the ball of the tournament. Starc got the new ball to swing and hit Abhishek Sharma’s top of off-stump to dismiss the in-form left-hander for two runs.

Ergo, the KKR gun fast bowler gave a perfect start to his team in the all-important final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday. Starc also accounted for Rahul Tripathi and returned with impressive figures of 2-14 in the three overs he bowled in the final.

Starc was awarded the Player of the Match for his fine performance as he played a key role in skittling out SRH at 113. Furthermore, Starc had returned with fine figures of 3-34 in the first qualifier against the Orange Army.

Reflecting on Starc’s pivotal delivery, Hayden told Star Sports Cricket Live, “The moment that ball left Mitchell Starc’s hands, it was game over. It was destined to be the best ball of the IPL — an absolute peach at a critical time.”

Former England swashbuckling batter Kevin Pietersen also showered praise on Mitchell Starc for lifting his game in the playoffs after a sedate run in the league stage.

“Mitchell Starc was averaging around 136-137 kmph for much of the season. But in the last two weeks, he has surpassed 140 kmph, which is his usual pace. He is bowling fast,” Pietersen remarked.

“We didn’t see him swing the ball for the first seven or eight weeks of the tournament. But recently, he managed to get his wrist in the right place and began swinging the ball back,” he added.

On the other hand, Pietersen also hailed KKR’s all-rounder Sunil Narine, who was awarded the MVP of the season. The southpaw scored 488 runs in 14 matches of IPL 2024 at an average of 34.86 and a blistering strike rate of 180.74. Furthermore, Narine scalped 17 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 21.65 and a parsimonious economy rate of 6.69.

“At the tournament’s start, I was critical of Sunil Narine as an opener due to his inconsistency. However, this season, he has batted with exceptional consistency and a phenomenal strike rate,” Pietersen said.

“His bowling remains top-notch. His ability to adapt his action while maintaining stellar performance is impressive. He is the heart and soul of KKR,” Pietersen concluded.

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

Michael Vaughan feels India will miss previous tours’ ‘snarl’ to take down Australia in Border-Gavaskar series

Former England captain Michael Vaughan reckons India will miss the previous tours’ aggressive captaincy of… Read More

November 22, 2024

Deep Dasgupta wants Virat Kohli to play with ‘combative mindset’ against Australia in Border-Gavaskar series

Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Deep Dasgupta has urged Virat Kohli to play with an aggressive… Read More

November 22, 2024

Michael Hussey surprised after Ashwin-Jadeja’s omission in 1st AUS vs IND 2024 Test

Former Australian batter Michael Hussey has shared his surprise after Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja… Read More

November 22, 2024

Cheteshwar Pujara backs ‘experienced’ Virat Kohli to play important role in Border-Gavaskar series against Australia

Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has backed experienced Virat Kohli to play a key role in… Read More

November 22, 2024

Sunil Gavaskar questions Nitish Kumar Reddy’s selection, says all-rounder lacks first-class experience

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has questioned Nitish Kumar Reddy’s selection in the opening Test match against… Read More

November 22, 2024

Sunil Gavaskar backs under-fire KL Rahul to find success in Border-Gavaskar series against Australia

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has put his weight behind under-fire KL Rahul to savour success in… Read More

November 22, 2024