I think I am most surprised by this innings, says Pat Cummins

He wanted to hit every delivery out of the park but even by his own big-hitting standards, Australian Test captain Pat Cummins is "more surprised" than anyone else after his 15-ball-56 not out

Pat Cummins KKR IPL 2022
Pat Cummins hit the joint fastest fifty in IPL history off just 14 balls against Mumbai Indians. Photo: @IPL
Press Trust of India Pune
3 min read Last Updated : Apr 07 2022 | 1:05 PM IST

He wanted to hit every delivery out of the park but even by his own big-hitting standards, Australian Test captain Pa Cummins is "more surprised" than anyone else after his 15-ball-56 not out blitzkrieg for KKR in an IPL match against Mumbai Indians.

Regarded as one of the world's best in contemporary cricket, Cummins smashed a record-equalling fastest fifty to power Kolkata Knight Riders' to a comfortable five-wicket win over MI here on Wednesday.

Cummins reached his half-century in just 14 balls, to equal KL Rahul, to help KKR chase down MI's total of 161 with 24 balls to spare.

"I probably think I'm most surprised by that innings. I'm glad that it came off. I was thinking of having a swing if it was in my area. Wasn't trying to overthink it," Cummins said.

"When I come into bat, it is at the end of the game. So I have a clear thinking to just clear the ropes. Whenever I am facing him (Jasprit Bumrah), I just try to hit as hard as possible and fortunately it came off few times."

He is the world's finest fast bowler but Cummins is no mug with the bat and he proved his worth on Wednesday night, as KKR, needing 35 from 30 balls, got them all in just six deliveries with the Australian Test captain hitting six sixes and four boundaries during his explosive knock.

Together with Venkatesh Iyer (50 not out off 41), who anchored KKR's chase, Cummins shared 61 runs off just 2.1 overs to overwhelm MI's total with consummate ease on a bouncy, lively wicket.

"I was just trying to be the shot player. Venky was out there and he was batting well. I though if I could get a few shots and make his job easy at the other end. For the shorter side of the boundary, I just try to get across and just target that area specifically. All I was trying to do was basically hit every ball for four or a six," the Australian Test captain said.

Cummins' innings came on the back of a below-par bowling effort by his own standards as the Australian was clobbered for three sixes by Kieron Pollard in the final over that yielded 23 runs.

"It's welcome to T20 cricket. It happens, you try and take it away from his (Pollard) strengths but he got away, that happens in T20.

"I thought 160 odd was a good score, we would have taken that at the start of the game., more so I am pleased with how I bowled in the first 10 overs to keep us to that score.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Pat CumminsIndian Premier LeagueCricketIPL

First Published: Apr 07 2022 | 1:04 PM IST

Next Story