Fast and furious: How Umran Malik bagged his five-for
On a night of high-intensity, wildly swinging cricket, 22-year-old tearaway Umran Malik was one of the brightest stars. He claimed all five wickets Sunrisers Hyderabad took on the night, finishing with figures of 4-0-25-5 in a game in which both teams scored 190-plus. Here's a run-through of his wickets.
Chasing 196, Gujarat Titans are a comfortable 68 for 0 in seven overs, when Malik comes on. One single and three balls later...
7.4 Top of off, 144kph. [Shubman] Gill is looking to make room and use his pace to go over the covers, but Malik keeps his length, keeps his line, and crashes through to the off stump. 69/1
Titans' captain Hardik Pandya comes in, and in a near repeat of the previous time these two teams met, Malik's pace and bounce surprise him and he cops a blow - last time it was on the helmet grille, this time it's on the shoulder. In his next over, Malik goes one better...
9.2 Great field placement. Third man is fine, almost a back stop. Malik bowls the bouncer, Pandya is clearly late on it, and the top edge goes to that fine third man. Malik is blowing kisses in the sky. He is on top of the world. 85/2
Malik comes back for the 14th over, with Titans needing 75 off 42 with eight wickets in hand, and Wriddhiman Saha leading their charge on 68 on 37. He duly strikes two balls later, getting the well-set Saha with a searing delivery.
13.2 Bullseye! 152kph heat-seeking missile explodes at the base of middle and leg stump! It was going to take something electric to remove Saha and Malik provides that by lighting up the stumps before Saha can jam the bat down in time while trying to back away to access the off side. 122/3
In his final over, the 16th of the innings, Malik all but derails the chase - he closes out his spell with a five-run, two-wicket over.
15.5 Bullseye again! A 50-pointer rips out the middle of middle stump at 148kph! Fired on a good length, [David] Miller goes for a big heave over the leg side and instead of hearing bat on ball, it's the harsh and unmistakable sound of ball on timber! 139/4
15.6 One more bullseye! Five for Malik! Fullish length on middle at 146kph, [Abhinav] Manohar fiddles at this more in hope than belief, trying desperately to see off Malik's final ball before waging battle against someone else. Beats the bat and a faint deflection off the back leg onto middle and off stump halfway up. Malik runs away with arms aloft and kisses the sky! 140/5
By the time Malik is done, Titans need 56 off 24 with five wickets in hand, and Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan get to work...