Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting was disappointed with his team’s fielding in their 50-run loss against the Lucknow Super Giants in their opening game. The former Australian Skipper admitted that dropping Kyle Mayers early on, and the team’s fielding, was a significant factor in their defeat.
West Indies opener Kyle Mayers was dropped on 14 by Khaleel Ahmed and then went on to score a match-winning knock of 73 runs on a two-paced pitch. Speaking to the media, after their loss to Lucknow, Ponting ruined the missed opportunities of his side, as they were very sloppy in the field.
“To be honest, I think they got more runs than they probably should have, I don’t think we helped ourselves in the field today. Our fielding after the first four overs was sloppy. A couple of chances went down a few misfields,” Ricky Ponting said.
Delhi Capitals Credits: Twitter
Ricky Ponting said that Kyle Mayers cashed in the second opportunity and played exceptionally well against their spinner before being dismissed Axar Patel for 73 runs. The 48-year-old wants his team to improve their fielding in their next game against Gujarat Titans.
“We know that we have to be sharp in the field. You can’t afford to put chances down, and if you do, you have to expect that they’re going to make you pay. There are a few reasons why we lost the game, and we’ll address those and hopefully improve for our next game,” Ricky Ponting added.
Coming into the match, Delhi Capitals started the innings very well, by keeping it tight in the first six overs, then Kyle Mayers took the bowlers all around the ground, followed by brilliant cameos by Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni at the end of the innings.
With 194 runs to chase, Delhi Capitals started off the innings brilliantly before Mark Wood started to fire with raw pace and bounce, dismissing Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh in two consecutive balls, then went on to pick his maiden 5 wicket haul in the Indian Premier League, which eventually helped LSG to win 50 run win over Delhi Capitals.
Mark Wood Is World-Class Fast Bowler – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting lauded Lucknow Super Giants speedster Mark Wood for his phenomenal bowling and hailed him a world-class fast bowler. Mark Wood was picked by LSG in IPL 2022 auction for 7.5 crores but missed out the season due to an injury, but he came back strongly to produce a terrific performance for LSG in their opening game.
Mark Wood Credits: Twitter
“He bowled the way we thought he would bowl. We know he will run in and bowl fast; we know he will run in and attack the stumps and use his bouncer. That’s what he did. He got those couple of bowled and used his bouncer well. He’s a world-class fast bowler. As this tournament goes on, if he stays fit, you will see him bowl some fast spells,” Ponting added
Delhi Capitals will take on defending champions Gujarat Titans in their second game on their home ground in Delhi on April 4.
