The much-anticipated debut of young West Indies speedster Shamar Joseph for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) turned out to be a baptism by fire in their IPL 2024 encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens. While Joseph displayed his trademark raw pace, clocking speeds over 150 kph during his opening over, his spell proved expensive, dampening the LSG spirits.
Promising Start marred by Costly Extras
The Guyanese pacer, known for his express deliveries, lived up to his reputation. The Eden Gardens crowd buzzed with excitement as Joseph unleashed his searing pace, with commentators lauding his raw talent. However, this promising start unraveled quickly as Joseph conceded a hefty 22 runs in his first over.
While he managed to restrict the damage to just eight runs in his first five deliveries, the final five balls proved disastrous. A combination of a no-ball, a wide, a wide yorker, another no-ball, and a six from Sunil Narine resulted in a forgettable debut over for the young fast bowler.
Joseph’s Over: Second Most Expensive in IPL History
Adding to the woes, Joseph’s opening over also holds the dubious distinction of being the second-most expensive over in IPL history (with at least 10 deliveries) â only surpassed by instances where bowlers delivered 11 balls in an over. This unwanted record puts Joseph’s debut firmly in the spotlight, albeit for the wrong reasons.
Meanwhile, the experienced Sunil Narine proved his worth with a miserly spell in the middle overs, effectively restricting the LSG batsmen. Mitchell Starc’s brilliant final over, scalping two wickets for just six runs, further tightened the grip on LSG’s scoring. These crucial bowling spells from Narine and Starc played a significant role in restricting the Lucknow Super Giants to a total of 161/7 after their 20 overs.
Pooran’s Fightback Cut Short by Starc
LSG’s innings witnessed a brief period of hope with a counter-attacking knock from Nicholas Pooran. The explosive batsman smashed four sixes and two boundaries, threatening to propel his team towards a much higher total. However, just as Pooran neared his well-deserved fifty, Mitchell Starc rose to the occasion once again, dismissing him in the final over. This dismissal effectively ended LSG’s hopes of a strong score, leaving them with a modest 161 runs to defend.
The match now hangs in the balance as KKR prepares to chase this target. Whether they can capitalize on a good bowling performance and secure victory or whether LSG can pull off a surprise with their bowling attack remains to be seen.
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