After four months out of action, Australian captain Pat Cummins has returned from injury in brilliant winning fashion — even though his initial rude welcome back in India was to be hit for a six by a 15-year-old kid.
On a day when the unstoppable Ricky Ponting-coached Punjab Kings also pulled off the biggest run chase in the history of T20 cricket against Delhi Capitals, Cummins’ comeback for Sunrisers Hyderabad began with him being tonked by Rajasthan’s incredible teenage centurion Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
But Cummins quickly rediscovered his old Midas touch in Jaipur in his first match since the Adelaide Ashes Test last December as he summoned up all his wiles to take 1-27, a superb return amid the high-scoring mayhem that ultimately proved the difference in Hyderabad’s five-wicket win.
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Reassuming the captaincy from star batter Ishan Kishan, and clear of his lumbar bone stress injury, Cummins won the toss and, on putting the Royals in, saw his first ball to Sooryavanshi pulled in front of square for a statement six.
It was the launchpad for the wonder boy to crash his second IPL century off just 36 balls — the third fastest in the IPL — reaching the landmark with his 12th six.
He was trapped lbw next ball for 103 by Sakib Hussain, but he’d already become the fastest and youngest ever to the 1000-run landmark in the IPL, having got there in just 473 balls to surpass Aussie Mitch Owen’s record of 533 balls.
“I think he’s my new favourite player,” Cummins said of Sooryavanshi with a laugh and a shake of the head.
“He hits the ball so hard, it’s great to watch. It’s good fun. You’ve got to be right on the money as a bowler because if you’re not it’s going a long way.
“He’s impressive, he’s had a great start to his career and I love the way he plays, takes the game on.”
After that initial six, though, no one took any more liberties with Cummins, who served up 12 dot balls and went at less than seven an over, while also delivering a corking yorker to get rid of his opposite number Riyan Parag.
“Really happy. You’re never quite sure how it’s going to come out first game back. I think I’ve played enough that I can maybe pick it up a bit earlier than I could 10 years ago when I first started,” beamed Cummins.
His batters made the chase of a formidable 6-228 seem a stroll, even after Travis Head had fallen for just six when Jofra Archer proved too nippy.
Abhishek Sharma raced to 57 off just 29 balls and Kishan cracked 74 off 31 to set up the victory with nine balls to spare.
Cummins could hardly credit how comfortable it was. “It’s incredible cricket … it’s just the way T20 cricket’s going, it’s good fun,” he mused.
But what were the poor old bowlers going to do, Pat?
“I don’t know,” grinned Cummins. “Start working on our batting?”
The same sentiment had been felt earlier by the luckless bowlers at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, as unbeaten Punjab’s rocket-charged batting line up pulled off a world record chase by six wickets in an amazing affair featuring 529 runs, including 33 sixes.
KL Rahul hammered a sensational 152 not out, the third-highest individual knock ever in the league, putting on 220 with Nitish Rana (91) as Delhi Capitals amassed a franchise record 2-264.
Yet Punjab, even after Cooper Connolly was bowled for 17 by Kuldeep Yadav, amazingly still made it appear a cakewalk, Priyansh Arya (43) and Prabhsimran Singh (76) taking 116 off the first six powerplay overs before Ponting’s trusty captain Shreyas Iyer (71no) bludgeoned his way to victory on 4-265 with seven balls left.
Aussie Xavier Bartlett had earlier made a bit of unwelcome history when he recorded figures of 1-69 off his four overs. It was the most expensive analysis ever from a Punjab bowler.
– with 7NEWS
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