Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer (Credits: Twitter)

Wasim Jaffer, a former India opener, believes the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would have struggled to overcome the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday if Pat Cummins had not hammered a record-equaling IPL fifty.

LSG vs DC Dream11 Prediction

Despite scoring a half-century, Jaffer pointed out that Venkatesh Iyer’s timing was poor. With the game on the line, Cummins came in and smashed an undefeated 56 off 15 balls to help Kolkata win by four overs.

Pat Cummins and Venkatesh Iyer
Pat Cummins and Venkatesh Iyer. Image: IPL

During a conversation on ESPNCricinfo, the veteran cricketer described Cummins’ innings as “amazing,” saying:

“Coming in at No. 7 and playing an innings like that, that’s absolutely great.” “Venkatesh Iyer was having trouble timing the ball, even though he got fifty, Wasim Jaffer continued. “KKR might not have won if Iyer hadn’t had Pat Cummins on the other end.”
Iyer was undefeated on 50 off 41 balls, while Cummins hit four fours and six sixes during his innings. KKR only had Sunil Narine and the bowlers to follow, thus the Australian batter’s innings was a daring one.

Wasim Jaffer said that the Cummins backed his big-hitting skills:

When it came to his strategy, Wasim Jaffer claimed the Australian backed his big-hitting abilities and the surface. He went on to say:

Read More  Watch: Matheesha Pathirana touched MS Dhoni's feet? Truth exposed in fresh video

“He presumably thought the wicket was good enough for him to trust his striking, and he struck some massive sixes as a result.” Everything else was rather simple once he reached Bumrah (for a couple of barriers). He annihilated (Daniel) Sams in under a minute.”

Cummins Sams
Pat Cummins and Daniel Sams. Image: BCCI

When Cummins entered the game, KKR needed 61 runs off 41 deliveries. In the 16th over, the Australian all-rounder thrashed Sams for four sixes and two fours as Kolkata cruised to victory.

Ahead of his batting efforts, the 28-year-old got 2 important MI wickets, dismissing Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav respectively. However, he came at a cost, as he let up 49 runs in four overs.

Also Read: KKR vs MI: Coming Off Test Cricket Means That I Don’t Have To Upskill Too Quickly – Pat Cummins