Watch: Pat Cummins’ terrific catch at the Eden Gardens helped Josh Hazlewood extend his terrific run against Quinton de Kock in ODIs.
At the second semi-final of the 2023 World Cup in Calcutta, the floodlights were on long before the draw. The grounds staff also had a busy day. He covered the whole ground, then took the cover off, came back to defend the pitch, and finally took a break with the cover just outside the boundary rope.
In these circumstances, Themba Bavuma opted for a strike and pushed one from Mitchell Starc to Josh Inglis in the first over. In strong winds, Starc and Josh Hazlewood bowled with great line and length, moving the ball both in the air and on the water.
Sometimes I hit the bully. When they didn’t, they forced Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, who played in the last ODI tournament, to field.
Until the semi-finals, only one bowler had dismissed de Kock more than five times in an ODI, and Hazlewood had dismissed exactly one batsman more than five times (second and seventh innings) .
After fighting 13 balls, de Kock decided to fight his nemesis. He tried for a long time to clear the ball, but could not do it at all. As the ball flew straight up, Pat Cummins ran backwards through the middle, held the ball over his head, and fell to the ground without losing the ball on impact.
In 15 ODIs, Hazlewood bowled 173 balls and conceded 126 runs against de Kock, defeating South Africa eight times. De Kock scored just 73 points against Hazlewood, averaging 15.75 points.
Watch Quinton de Kock fall to Josh Hazlewood:
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