Sunrisers Hyderabad’s left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem was delighted to contribute to the team’s much-needed win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Sharjah on Tuesday (November 3).
In the last league game of the IPL 13, Sandeep Sharma was much discussed for his three-wicket haul while the opening duo of David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha dominated the headlines for their unbeaten match-winning half-centuries, but Nadeem managed to steal the show with his ‘Player of the Match’ performance.
The 31-year-old came up with a season-defining performance against the defending champions, dismissing in-form Suryakumar Yadav and dangerous Krunal Pandya in a span of 3 deliveries to help SRH restrict MI to 149/8 in 20 overs in Sharjah – where Hyderabad won the game by 10 wickets on Tuesday.
The left-arm-spinner didn’t get many chances in the ongoing IPL 2020, but when he got, the bowler caught the attention of many and even on Tuesday, delivered his absolute best when it mattered for SRH, returning with an impressive spell of 2/19 in his quota of 4 overs.
After his team thrilling win over MI, Nadeem, who has played 117 first-class matches, said fringe players like him didn’t get many opportunities, so it is important for them to take every opportunity and use it to the fullest and that’s what exactly he did against Mumbai.
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Shahbaz said: “I have been playing like this for the last couple of years. It is important that whenever you get your chances you need to give your 100% and that’s what came out today. I have been working on the carrom ball for a couple of years and I thought it was the right time to bowl it because they have a lot of left-handers in their side.”
He further said, “The round-arm delivery doesn’t bounce much, but it also depends where it pitches – if it pitches on the leather it stays low and if it pitches on the seam it bounces extra.”
The spinner signed off by saying, “Today I was looking to get it to skid from the leather. Contributing to the team boosts you. Everyone has been contributing and my job is to fit in. This is a very small ground but the pitches are turning slower, so as a spinner if you pitch it in the right areas, it does work.”
(With ANI Inputs)
