Cummins’ rare feat as Marsh’s epic IPL return continues, man of match calls out ‘not fair’ pitch

Pat Cummins achieved a rare feat while fellow Australians Travis Head and Mitch Marsh had big knocks overnight as Lucknow Super Giants easily chased down a target of 191 to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad for their first win of the new IPL season.

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Cummins, who also had two wickets in the loss, had a brief but efficient late cameo with the bat in hand for Hyderabad after hitting three consecutive sixes to open his knock.

MS Dhoni (vs Mumbai Indians, 2024), Nicholas Pooran (vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2023) and Sunil Narine (vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 2021) are the other three players to have achieved that feat in the IPL, according to ESPNcricinfo.

It wasn’t enough to save Hyderabad though, with Head’s 47 off 28 also in vain as Pooran slammed 70 off 26 balls to help Lucknow to a comfortable victory.

Pooran’s power-packed innings featured six fours and six sixes, as the West Indies batsman ruthlessly took the attack to the opposition on a flat Hyderabad pitch.

Australian Adam Zampa, brought into the game as Cummins’ impact sub, was no match for Pooran’s power as he was hit for 19 in his first over, going on to end the game 1-46 off four overs.

Lucknow, captained by the most expensive player in the IPL, India’s Rishabh Pant, lost Aiden Markram early before Mitchell Marsh (52) and Pooran put on 116 for the second wicket in barely seven overs together.

It was Marsh’s second-straight half-century, continuing a strong return from a back injury.

Pooran eventually fell lbw to Australia captain Pat Cummins, leaving his team on 120-2 in the ninth over.

Mitch Marsh's epic IPL return continues | 01:25

Pant walked in with Lucknow well positioned but made a scratchy run-a-ball 15 before miscuing a full toss from Harshal Patel, following Marsh back after he was removed earlier by his international team-mate Cummins.

Lucknow also lost Ayush Badoni cheaply but Abdul Samad hit an unbeaten 22 off eight deliveries to help them cruise to victory with 23 balls remaining.

Lucknow had won the toss and restricted Hyderabad to 190-9 despite a brisk 47 at the top of the order from Head.

Shardul Thakur, who wasn’t initially picked up by any franchise and only received a call-up from Lucknow as an injury replacement, finished with his best IPL figures.

Thakur took 4-34 and landed a key double blow by dismissing opener Abhishek Sharma (6) and Ishan Kishan (0) with successive balls in the third over.

Head steadied the innings after Hyderabad slipped to 15-2 before a searing Prince Yadav delivery rearranged his stumps.

Travis Head's incredible 23 run IPL over | 01:01

Thakur, who won the player-of-the-match award, complained that the “bowlers get very little (help) on these kind of pitches” in the IPL.

“Even in the last game pre-match I said that pitches should be prepared in such a way that the game hangs in the balance for batters and bowlers. Especially after the ‘impact player’ rule, it’s not fair on the bowlers,” he complained.

Several Hyderabad batsmen made starts but couldn’t go on, with Nitish Kumar Reddy contributing 32 and Aniket Verma blasting a quick 36 after Heinrich Klaasen (17) was run out in bizarre fashion at the non-striker’s end.

As Yadav attempted to take a low return catch offered by Reddy, he deflected the ball onto the stumps with Klaasen out of his crease.

Cummins dispatched three of the four balls he faced over the rope in a whirlwind knock of 18, but it came in vain as Hyderabad suffered their first loss.

Pant said that the win was “definitely a big relief”.

“We don’t want to get too high after winning and too low after losing, taking it one match at a time,” said Pant.

He also praised Pooran, insisting the team “just want to give freedom to him. I like that freedom too. But we’ve just told him to go express himself and he’s batting phenomenally for us”.

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