Indian Premier LeaguePacer Odean Smith bowled that all-important last over, defending 22 runs to deny the Mumbai Indians in the Tata Indian Premier League 2022. PBKS snatched a 12-run victory in that game to hand the five-time champions their fifth loss in as many games, staying winless this season.
Smith bowled a last over that looked very similar to the previous game played against the Gujarat Titans. There, too, the equation had boiled down to defending 13 off the last three deliveries, the result of which had ended differently in that game.
However, having successfully pulled off a win here against the Mumbai Indians, Odean Smith, captain Mayank Agarwal and the fans alike were happy to see the team back in winning ways.
Post the match, Smith took questions from the media on the game and what went on in his head during that last over.
The last over
Smith revealed that he got a heads up about how he may be bowling the last over. “Shikhar told me that I was probably going to bowl the last over. So I had made my plans of what I was going to do. I asked him a few questions about what the batters would do,” the Jamaican elaborated.
He was confident too, and didn’t let history sit on his mind. “I backed my best balls and I went with the plan,” Smith said.
Planning for Suryakumar Yadav
He also gave insights about what the plan was to get Suryakumar Yadav out after having removed all other Mumbai Indians batters. In the penultimate over, PBKS managed to get the danger man of MI out successfully, and Smith spoke about the same.
“The plan was to basically bowl yorkers,” he said, after establishing the fact that the third-man and mid-off were inside the circle. “Definitely you’d have to nail them. You’re not going to nail six yorkers. So if we miss, we would just want that over to give away limited runs,” Smith explained.
He further said, “It was just a plan to nail the yorkers as much as possible and let the batter make the mistakes. We know he is a very good batsman, who likes pace on the ball. So we were just trying to let him make mistakes.”
On Smith’s role in the team
Smith has contributed to the team in both batting and bowling departments. While he comes down the order to ensure the team gets a strong finish, he also bowls his four overs to trouble the batters wherever he can. The Jamaican threw light on his part in the team.
“I consider myself a bowling all-rounder. I have good batting capabilities. So, my role is to go out there, finish games and help the team to get to a good total. Since I also play the role of a finisher, I’d consider myself a bowling all-rounder,” Smith clarified.
He sure has contributed with the bat and the ball - the 25* (8) against RCB in the first game and the four-wicket haul against MI are performances that speak of how important his role is in the team. Here’s hoping there’s more to come from this Sher in the Tata Indian Premier League 2022 for the Punjab Kings!
