Pat Cummins was all praise for his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pace mate, Lockie Ferguson, whose outstanding performance with the ball made a telling difference in the super over face-off with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Abu Dhabi this Sunday (October 18).
Defending the first-innings score of 163/5, KKR had Ferguson going for just 15 runs off his four overs and picking up three crucial wickets to restrict the opposition to an identical score and take the game to the super over.
There also Ferguson showed off his class with pinpoint yorkers, dismissing SRH batsmen, David Warner and Abdul Samad, inside three balls for just 2 runs. KKR then easily scored the three required to take home a crucial win and points.
"It was pretty easy decision to pick Lockie (for the Super Over), he bowled beautifully... Amazing performance from Lockie, I am very happy for him. He was unbelievable under pressure as well. It was a great performance," Cummins said during the post-match press conference, as quoted by ANI.
On his own performance in the game, Cummins (1/28) was happy to finally have a wicket to show for his efforts. He dismissed SRH batsman Vijay Shankar (7), which was only his third scalp in nine innings of the competition so far.
"It is frustrating sometimes," he said. "You want to get some wickets early. That's cricket, it does not come sometimes. And other days, you bowl really poorly and you get four-five wickets. I am trying to improve in each game, looking at what I am doing right and what I can improve."
Despite the victory, their fifth in nine games, however, the undeniable feeling that KKR haven't yet played their best cricket remained in conscience. Cummins, though, considers this a good sign.
"The exciting thing for me is that we have not played our best cricket yet," he said. "We have not yet had that one complete game where we totally dominated the opponent. I know that is going to happen at some stage. It is great that we are in the top four."
KKR next play on Wednesday (October 21) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
