The game of cricket often hinges on crucial moments, and the Qualifier 2 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) exemplified this perfectly. At the heart of this pivotal encounter was Shahbaz Ahmed, whose remarkable performance turned the tide in SRH’s favor.

Ahmed’s Impactful Spell

As the match progressed, SRH found themselves in need of crucial breakthroughs to apply pressure on RR’s formidable batting lineup. It was then that Shahbaz Ahmed stepped up to the plate, delivering a spell that would alter the course of the game.

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Key Wickets

In the 12th over of the match, Ahmed struck twice to dismantle RR’s batting order. His first victim in the game was Yashasvi Jaiswal, and then, in the 12th over, he first bagged Riyan Parag, who fell prey to Ahmed’s deceptive off-break delivery. Parag’s mistimed shot resulted in an easy catch for Abhishek Sharma, handing SRH a vital breakthrough. But Ahmed still needed to be finished. In the same over, he accounted for the dismissal of Ravichandran Ashwin, further denting RR’s hopes of a strong batting performance. But Ahmed still needed to be finished. In the same over, he accounted for the dismissal of Ravichandran Ashwin, further denting RR’s hopes of a strong batting performance.

Ahmed’s Contribution with the Bat

Not only did Ahmed shine with the ball, but he also made a valuable contribution with the bat earlier in the match. His partnership with Heinrich Klaasen helped SRH post a competitive total of 175 runs, showcasing his versatility as an impact player.

Cummins’ Insight

Reflecting on Ahmed’s performance, SRH captain Pat Cummins highlighted the strategic decision behind deploying him as an impact player. With insights from coach Dan Vettori, SRH capitalized on Ahmed’s left-arm orthodox bowling to gain an advantage over RR.

Pat Cummins, SRH’s winning captain: (on SRH’s turnaround from 2023) You’ve seen that in the way we played. The finals was the goal and we’ve made it. (Finding another way to win tonight) We knew our strength was batting but we wouldn’t underestimate the experience in the side like Nattu, Unadkat and Bhuvi. (Shahbaz as the Impact Sub choice) That was Vettori’s choice, he likes his left-arm spinners. (Using Sharma’s four overs) I felt there was a bit of a grip. (Total felt enough at the break?) Finals are always funny. These turn into tough chases. Needed early wickets and we got that. (Seeing how dew works in India) I won’t ever pretend to work out how it works. (Final) For the whole franchise, there are 60-70 of us who are involved, it is really gratifying. Hopefully one more.”