The ex Sunrisers head coach reminisced of the blistering end-overs aggressor in his heyday watching this youngster go about his business in IPL 2023.
Abdul Samad’s match-winning blitz at the end in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) critical victory on Sunday (May 7) in IPL 2023 reminded the team’s former head coach Tom Moody of watching the blistering Yusuf Pathan in his pomp.
Moody said Samad evokes the young Pathan, who was known for his strength and powerhitting prowess for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Sunrisers franchise in the IPL. The now-retired cricketer could take on spin and pace in his heyday and give the ball a full monte in the end-overs phase.
Seeing similar attributes about SRH’s J&K recruit, the ex Australian allrounder feels he is on his way to replicating the match-winning abilities of a young Pathan in the IPL. The remark was made after Abdul Samad made amends for himself in the ongoing tournament with a terrific late-overs act versus the Royals.
The smashing right-hander made an unbeaten 17 off 7 balls, including two sixes in the final over to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for his team. The maximum struck off the final ball particularly stood-out. After being caught on the no-ball with five needed, Samad made the free-hit count and blazed pacer Sandeep Sharma to seal the win for his team.
Speaking for ‘ESPNcricinfo’, Moody hoped that the end-overs blitz versus the Royals would lead to a major turnaround in the fortunes for the SRH late-order maverick. With almost everyone anticipating a long career ahead for the Jammu-based youngster, Moody wished for this to be the marker of the new era for the 21-year-old.
“What Abdul Samad has got as a young, emerging player is a rare ability to hit the ball out of the ground. He reminds me of a young Yusuf Pathan. He’s got that strength, power, and it’s a very hard role to play,” Moody said.
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The ex SRH head coach also said credit shall be given to the franchise and the support staff for sticking with Abdul Samad through thick and thin over the past three seasons of the IPL and allowing him to develop into a potential match-winner.
Witnessing Samad’s end-over heist versus the Royals, Moody reckons, would only reinforce faith in the management that they are backing a horse for the long haul, someone who would regularly produce the goods for the franchise from now onwards.
“I hope that it gives the management and the franchise confidence that they have got the right person because that is the hardest part. Forget about the player having confidence, you need the organisation – wherever you are – to have confidence in you, and I think if you look at his erratic selection over the last two years, I think that hopefully, this is the turning point for him,” he added.
