When Curran and Cameron Went Green With the Bat in an Absolute Cracker of a Game
Cameron Green and Sam Curran at Wankhede (AP Photo)
One of the finest and most effective ways in which to measure the impact of the IPL is the difference it tends to have over an individual at the back of a single inning. Not more, not plenty- but one single effort.
And one saw one of the richest examples just over half a day ago in the game featuring the Punjab Kings and the Mumbai Indians.
Fundamentally, from a win percentage and that of being a bigger gatherer of IPL trophies, Mumbai are about as big over Punjab as is Kieron Pollard standing up tall against an Ishan Kishan.
But in a game of sheer uncertainty where pressure can so often get the better of you, one daring young man from the Punjab Kings truly played like one and perhaps with not a lot going right for his outfit.
In so doing, he proved that for as long as one backs himself to go after a challenge, things like physical frame and sheer muscle power perhaps don’t matter as much as intent.
If there was one brilliant knock this IPL by a cricketer that proved exactly how a single effort with the bat can have an impact on one’s overall IPL standing, then it was Sam Curran’s half-century, a knock riddled by some ridiculous hitting and lest we forget, burgeoning pressure.
In a team where Prabhsimran and Livingstone provide the batting fireworks, it was Sam Curran who waged a lone assault and rescued a faltering team perhaps at a time when they so desperately sought a moment of reprieve.
But the situation in which England’s blooming bowling all-rounder decided to wield his bat couldn’t have been any tougher; by the time Sam Curran arrived at the middle, the Punjab Kings had been restricted and quite badly so, with the scorecard reading a rather jittery 83-4.
With Mumbai right on top and the fans perhaps wondering whether this would again be one of those low-scoring and disappointing outcomes with the bat, Curran began to change the complexion of the game, albeit not backing out from any chance at his disposal to go berserk with the bat.
Prior to his vital half-century, and as it turned out, Sam Curran’s career IPL strike rate was 142. By the time, he’d raise his bat to soak in the rich reception, it would have soared to a hefty 146.
But the beginnings weren’t about going for the big shots. A 29-ball-stay at the wicket would yield five fours and five sensational sixes, all of which ultimately resulted in a thundering strike rate of 189.
The key highlight of Sam Curran’s best IPL score being that one over from newcomer Arjun Tendulkar, where the scenes quickly transformed in Punjab’s favour; their in-form batter who may have planned to bat right until the end switching instead to capitalise on these six deliveries.
Although, the bottom-hand six off Shaukeen earlier on had clearly shown that Curran wasn’t going to back out, but the Tendulkar over just changed the momentum of the contest altogether.
The first ball of the left-arm medium pacer’s third over was sent perhaps six rows back over the long off boundary; an excited Morrison couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, clean as a whistle!”
Though, this was just the start. While the second delivery brought out a thick outside edge that went towards the third-man boundary, it was time for Bhatia at the other end to get into the act, arguably spurred by Curran’s assault.
All of that said, it could be argued that the finest blow from Sam Curran’s bat came on the first ball of the seventeenth over by Cameron Green, yet another youngster with prime power on his side.
But the awkwardly pitched delivery around the off stump would be sent over extra cover for a glorious six.
Curran, by now, was within the range of his half-century. He was in a punishing mood now, sending the very next delivery straight over long on for a six.
We love big hits in a T20 contest and Ravi Shastri on song, don’t we?
In the end, had it not been for Curran’s 55, a captain’s inning, which didn’t even consume five full overs, would Punjab have seized the advantage and changed gears to reach the daunting 214?
But all of that wasn’t just going to be enough for Mumbai, or so it seemed, at one position when Cameron Green, who had earlier gone for over ten an over decided to play the aggressor.
Surely, being spurred by Suryakumar Yadav’s dazzling 57, such a relief given the recent nightmare run the Indian batsman endured, provided an early sign of progress the Mumbai Indians made.
But, well and truly speaking, it was Cameron Green’s daunting 67, which came off just 43 deliveries that truly took Punjab to the cleaners even if one would note in the end that it wouldn’t be enough to clean off the side.
What’s rather impressive is that for someone who’s only just recently arrived in the IPL and yet is making heads turn, Cameron Green is stationed at number three, which is an onerous challenge in itself.
Well, not that it has impacted his batting in any way; on April 22, the tall Australian registered for the first time ever, a consecutive half-century.
The unbeaten 64 versus the Sunrisers just the other day had set the sun over Hyderabad without much ado.
But this was different. The ask was rather big; it’s one thing to go crazy with the bat whilst batting first but something entirely different when you are in midst of a lanky run chase.
An exciting part of Green’s rollicking fifty, one noted, was that he seemed completely unbothered by Punjab’s in-form seamer - Arshdeep Singh.
And in an exposition of hitting right back at his assaulter, Green would pelt a powerful blow towards the cover off Curran, taking Mumbai to 47 off just 5.
Not that Ellis was spared either; a fiercely struck blow towards long on, absolutely devoid of any air whatsoever pierced the long boundary.
That told, the finest highlight of Green’s quickfire knock was the lanky six he executed over Rahul Chahar, raising his fifty in the process and thus, evoking a loud response from the Mumbai fans.
With the tournament all set to hit peak crescendo in a few days’ time, that youngsters like Curran and Green, big future stars for their respective outfits are coming into their own augurs even better for this belter of a tournament.
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