Yusuf eyes Capitals scalp after taming Tigers
lucknow: Soon ater Yusuf Pathan helped India Maharajas beat World Giants in a special benefit match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sept.16, Irfan Pathan shared a video of his brother Yusuf with the groundsmen on social media. The caption read: “There is still a lot of cricket let in you, Yusuf.”
Irfan’s comments weren’t totally off the mark. Yusuf has hit a purple patch in the Legends League Cricket (LLC), which is being played in India for the first time.
Ater scoring a half-century against World Giants, the big-hiting Bhilwara Kings bater followed it up with a 44 against Manipal Tigers. He peppered the ground with his shots, hiting mammoth sixes and sumptuous boundaries at will, the organisers informed in a release on Tuesday.
The former India all-rounder will aim to continue the same form when his side Bhilwara Kings face India Capitals at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Wednesday.
“Yusuf has been brilliant for us. Fidel Edwards has done the job in the bowling department. We are shaping up well,” Kings’ captain Irfan had said ater their first match.
But it might not be as easy as it sounds for Yusuf this time. The GMR group-owned India Capitals will be aiming to make a strong comeback in the league ater losing their first match to Gujarat Giants. The likes of fiery pace bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Liam Plunket will be looking to show that they still have the fire in them to trouble baters.
Capitals would also be hoping that former South Africa allrounder Jacques Kallis returns to form. The legendary player can turn a game on its head and the team will be expecting him to fire against Kings.
However, the Capitals’ middle-order looks solid with Ashley Nurse hiting a terrific century in their last match. Capitals will certainly bank on his heroics if the top-order comes a cropper again.
The match between Bhilwara Kings and India Capitals will be the last one in Lucknow before the caravan moves to New Delhi. The other two teams Gujarat Giants and Manipal Tigers have already reached the Capital.
Meanwhile, Parthiv Patel proved he still retains his reputation of being a pocket-sized powerhouse as he smashed a 17-ball 34 on Monday to help the Virender Sehwag-led Gujarat Giants clinch a two-wicket win against Harbhajan Singh’s Manipal Tigers in the fourth match of the Legends League Cricket (LLC).
The Giants have won two-out-of-two matches and occupy the top spot on the points table.
Chasing Manipal Tigers’ 120/8, Parthiv’s blitzkrieg, which included six boundaries and a six, helped the Giants finish off the match with 16 balls to spare, but they lost eight wickets in the chase, giving Sehwag some anxious moments.