Last night (July 25), Sreesanth marked his debut in the Zim Afro T10 League, representing the Harare Hurricanes against the Cape Town Samp Army. Demonstrating his prowess as a fast bowler, he delivered an outstanding performance that contributed significantly to his team’s remarkable victory at the Harare Sports Club.
Opting to field first in Harare, the Cape Town Samp Army won the toss. The Harare Hurricanes, led by Donovan Ferreira’s impressive 87 off 33 balls, managed to set a challenging target of 115/6 on the scoreboard in the allotted 10 overs.
In pursuit of a victory target of 116, the Cape Town Samp Army advanced to 108/3 in nine overs. With just eight runs required off the last six balls, they appeared to be cruising towards a comfortable win. Nevertheless, Sreesanth’s exceptional bowling skills came to the fore as he conceded only seven runs, resulting in a tie and leading the game into a thrilling Super Over.
In the crucial final over, Sreesanth made an impactful start by dismissing the dangerous Karim Janat, who was bowled out on the very first ball. The incoming batsman, Sean Williams, managed to tap the second ball towards the off-side and secured a single. Next up, an outside edge from Matthew Breetzke’s bat resulted in four runs off the third ball, reducing the equation to three runs needed off three balls.
Demonstrating nerves of steel, the Harare Hurricanes fast bowler executed a well-disguised slower delivery on the fourth ball, leaving Matthew Breetzke deceived and unable to score. However, the batters managed to snatch a leg bye on that ball, keeping their hopes alive.
First over in the tournament ☝️
— ZimAfroT10 (@ZimAfroT10) July 25, 2023
8 runs to defend 😬@sreesanth36 rolls the clock back to take the game to the Super over 😵💫 🕰️#ZimAfroT10 #CricketsFastestFormat #T10League #InTheWild #CTSAvHH pic.twitter.com/tMjN1FGdJw
As the tension mounted, Sean Williams placed the fifth ball towards the mid-on region, but the determined bowler dived to stop the ball before executing an extraordinary direct hit, catching Williams short of his crease in a stunning display of fielding prowess.