In just a couple of days of the T10 League 2018, we have seen a 16-ball 74, a double hat-trick, 5 wickets in 5 balls and a 47-year-old spinner taking a 5-wicket haul. The shorter the format gets, the crazier it is. Batsmen slog wildly, going after every delivery without a second thought and bowlers finding unconventional ways to get wickets.
Pravin Tambe
Taking a five-wicket haul is any format of the game is an achievement. In 10 over games, a bowler is allowed to bowl a maximum of 2 overs. So to take wickets in 5 deliveries out of 12, is a 41.66 per cent success rate.
In a format where a bowler considers himself lucky to bowl a dot ball, 47-year-old Indian bowler Pravin Tambe took a five-wicket haul becoming the first to do so. And did I mention he took a hat-trick too? The last recognised cricket match he played was more than one year ago. That makes it even harder to digest.
So who did he get out? First, Chris Gayle, the highest run-scorer in T20 cricket globally and one of the best in the business. The second wicket was Eoin Morgan, England’s T20I captain. The third wicket was Kieron Pollard, the all-rounder who has played the most T20 matches in the world.
Then went Fabian Allen, who recently played for the Windies against India in the recently concluded series. And, the final wicket was that of Upul Tharanga, the veteran Sri Lankan batsman.
Tambe reduced Kerala Knights to 5 for 12 in just 2.2 overs. But, such is the nature of the game that they still managed to score 103 in 10 overs, courtesy Wayne Parnell’s half-century and Sohail Tanvir’s cameo.
It is also to be noted that the 47-year-old leggie was neglected by every franchise in IPL 2018 because of his age.
A double hat-trick and 5 wickets in 5 balls
Before Tambe’s hat-trick, Pakistani bowler Aamer Yamin took a double hat-trick and became the 7th in the history of the game to do so. In the process, he ended up bowling a maiden as well. The 28-year-old did not give a single run off the penultimate over.
Even though it is fun to watch a fast-paced game like this where wickets tumble and batsmen hammer the ball all around the park, this isn’t a format that seems healthy for the sport’s longevity. Sponsors look at it as a great way to mint money. There are even talks that T10 should make it to the Olympic games which might not be a good idea.
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