Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad said he was thrilled to see the control that Mayank Yadav bowled with in his match-winning spell for Lucknow against Punjab in an IPL 2024 match on Saturday. Broad, one of the legends of the game, highlighted how the 21-year-old fast bowler did not get carried away by his raw pace and focused on lines and lengths to trouble the Punjab batters on a much-improved pitch at the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium.
Mayank Yadav made headlines with a spell of 4 overs that got the entire country buzzing. The young fast bowler, scouted and signed by LSG, rattled the Punjab batters with his pace, touching 150 kph consistently. Mayank bowled the fastest delivery of IPL 2024 so far when he clocked 155.8 kph in his second over on his debut in the Indian Premier League.
Mayank rushed high-quality batters of the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Jitesh Sharma and ended up with 3 wickets in his 4-over quota while giving away just 28 runs. It was his spell that broke the back of Punjab’s batting line-up. The visiting team were 102 for 0 in the 12th over, but they suffered a mini-collapse, thanks to Mayank’s thunderbolts.
Lucknow went on to successfully defend 199 and win by 21 runs. Mayank won the Player of the Match Award for his figures of 3 for 28 on IPL debut.
“Obviously, he has natural pace, but his control of line and length was exceptional for a young bowler,” Stuart Broad told Star Sports.
“Sometimes, as a young bowler, you can come in and charge in with the emotion and try and bowl as quickly as possible. But the radar goes. But I thought his control of the lines was fantastic. Yes, Jonny Bairstow hit a fantastic shot to the backward of point when there was a bit of width. But, other than that, he really didn’t give the batters anything. When you see world-class batters like Jonny Bairstow, who have played all over the world, when they are getting rushed, you know there’s something special.
“I am delighted to see him getting the Player of the Match. When you see a fast bowler getting the award, it brings a smile to my face,” he added.
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MAYANK WARNING TO AUSTRALIA
Stuart Broad joked he had already sent a text message to Steve Smith, warning him of Mayank Yadav’s pace and how the Australians should be wary of the young lad, if he gets an opportunity to head Down Under later in the year.
Australia are set to host India in a 5-Test series from November 22, 2024 to January 7, 2025 and Mayank Yadav’s performance on his debut has seen calls to fast track him to the senior national team.
“You don’t need to get far ahead. But I have already texted Steve Smith. If you are seeing this guy in Australia in the Test series, get used to it,” Broad said, responding to Manjrekar who wanted the young pacer from Delhi to be fast-tracked into the senior national team.
Lucknow rode on their pace battery as Mohsin Khan also chipped in with 2 wickets to seal a 21-run victory and open their account in IPL 2024. Earlier in the day, a fifty from Quinton de Kock and quickfire cameos from stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran and Krunal Pandya helped them post an above-par total of 199, which eventually turned out to be a winning score.
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