RR vs SRH: Smith rues not giving Archer another over in PowerPlay
One of the talking points from the defeat for the Royals was the reluctance to hand Archer a third over with the new ball against Hyderabad.
Published : Oct 22, 2020 23:53 IST
Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner hailed his team's all-round performance in the eight-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Dubai on Thursday.
Warner once again fell to Jofra Archer -- six dismissals in seven innings since the tour of England in September -- during SRH's chase of 155.
On his angry reaction to losing his wicket early in the chase, Warner said, "I was frustrated that in these games you come up against world-class bowlers when there is a bit of seam or swing. And it is jagging at 150ks. And you are trying to get through the over. And the edge goes straight to hand."
In what was his first appearance of the season, all-rounder Jason Holder claimed three wickets and effected a run-out. "Jason adds an extra string to our bow. His height. His experience. And he couldn't bat today, but he is an all-round package," said Warner.
SRH's middle-order has come under fire since the last season with the two openers Warner and Jonny Bairstow doing the bulk of the scoring.
After the early dismissals of Warner and Bairstow, Manish Pandey (83 n.o) and Vijay Shankar (52 n.o.) put on an unbeaten 140-run stand to guide SRH to victory. Pandey and Shankar became the first Indian pair to put on a 100-run partnership for SRH in the history of IPL.
Warner said, "It is just great to show people that we do have a middle-order. For them to come out and play like this, I am so happy for them. They showed they can build a platform for us to get across the line. Or set a big total. I am chuffed for them."
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With the defeat, Royals slipped to seventh with eight points after 11 games. One of the talking points for the Royals was Smith's reluctance to hand Archer a third over with the new ball.
"I consulted a few other boys, it was talked about (giving Jofra another over upfront) but opted against it and in hindsight, after what happened, probably would've given him one more over. It was on my mind," explained Smith.
He added, "We started well. Jofra taking two big wickets early but we couldn't keep the foot on the pedal. Vijay played smart innings and Manish took the game on and played really nicely. It (the wicket) got better as the game went on. It was slow and stopping in the first innings, it was one of those wickets which was quite hard to start on."