Zaheer Khan was not less than an absolute magician, as he made the ball talk viciously. In his playing days, the former Indian pacer was a complete match winner as his accuracy and swing bowling made him a nightmare for any batsman. Khan, in particular, was simply exceptional against the top order batsmen when he found assistance from the seam movement.
Zaheer’s head to head rivalry with former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum was a highly reputed one as both the individuals wanted to dominate each other. While McCullum never looked to hold back against any bowler, Khan too was always determined to be on top of the batsman. Their head to head statistics indicates a clear advantage for the left arm pacer.
The most famous episode between them was during the 2015 IPL, when Khan while representing the Delhi Daredevils completely owned Chennai Super Kings opener, Brendon McCullum. The game took place at Raipur and the Delhi Daredevils were on top as the Chennai openers found it difficult to get going.
In the sixth over, Zaheer was all over McCullum as he foxed the Kiwi star with his variations. Ball after ball, McCullum looked to charge down and go for the maximum, but only to be fooled by the veteran pacer. Khan’s change in pace and slower one’s caught the New Zealand batting sensation off guard each time and all he could do was just place the ball straight to the fielders.
With five dot balls, McCullum played a rash shot on the final ball of the over, only to be caught on the edge of the circle. It was a perfect over from Zaheer, and below is the video of that delightful over.
http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x4nqpna