Jun 30 2009
DREAM DEBUT FOR PRAGYAN OJHA IN T 20 CRICKET
Pragyan Ojha became the first Indian and seventh bowler overall to take four wickets on debut in Twenty-20 cricket.
The slow left-arm orthodox bowler from Khurda achieved this feat by taking four for 21 in four overs against Bangaldesh at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on June 6, 2009.
The 22-year old, Pragyan Ojha, who made his debut in Twenty-20 international cricket after playing 32 Twenty-20 matches, also became the first bowler to take a wicket on his very first ball by dismissing Shakib Al Hasan, caught by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
He also claimed Junaid Siddique’s wicket, caught by Harbhajan Singh in the deep, on the fifth ball of the over to become the third bowler after England’s Darren Maddy and Pakistan’s Masoor Amjad to take two or more wickets in the first over of Twenty-20 international cricket.
England’s Darren Maddy was the first bowler to take two wickets in his first over in Twenty-20 international cricket. The right arm medium pacer from Leicester achieved this feat by dismissing New Zealand’s Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram in the Super-Eight match of the Twenty-20 World Cup at Kingsmead, Durban on September 18,2007
Maddy was asked to bowl for the first time by England skipper Paul Collingwood in this match when New Zealand were 134 for six in 16 overs. First, he dismissed the dangerous McMillan, caught by Dimi Mascarenhas on the second ball and then he shattered the stumps of Oram on the fourth ball of the over.
Pakistan’s Mansoor Amjad is the only bowler to take three wickets in the very first over in Twenty-20 international cricket. The leg-break googly bowler achieved this feat by dismissing Bangaldesh’s Mahmudullah, caught by Kamran Akmal then he had Mashrafe Mortaza caught by Umar Gul and his third wicket includes the prize scalp of Shahadat Hossain, who was bowled by him at Karachi on April 20,2008.
The first bowler to take four wickets on debut in Twenty-20 internationals was Australian Michael Kasprowicz. The right arm fast medium bowler took four wickets for 29 runs against New Zealand at Auckland on February 17,2005.It was the very first match in Twenty-20 interantional cricket.
With Kasprowicz’s four-wicket haul, Australia made it a historic three out of three by becoming the first side to win matches in all the three formats of the game. They had triumphed in both the inaugural Test, against England at Melbourne in 1877, and the inaugural one-day international, same ground, same opponents, 94 years later. T20 an apt name for what some saw as a new beginning for international cricket. McGrath proved the most expensive of the Australian strike bowlers, Lee the most parsimonious. But it was Kasprowicz who wrecked the New Zealand top order.
The first bowler to claim four wickets on debut on English soil was England’s Jon Lewis. The Right-arm medium pacer took four wickets for 24 against Australia at The Rose Bowl, Southampton on June 13, 2005. England achieved a 100-run victory in this match, their biggest in terms of runs in Twenty20 international matches. It was the first Twenty-20 international match on English soil and second overall.
Ireland’s Alex Cusack became the third bowler to take four wickets on debut in Twenty-20 international matches when he claimed four wickets for 21 runs against Scotland on Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast on August 2, 2008.
After Alex Cusack, Canadian Harvir Baidwan joined this elite club by taking four wickets for 19 runs against Holland at Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast on August 2, 2008. It was the only time in any type of international cricket that two bowlers claimed four wickets on debut on the same day and at the same ground.
Sri Lankan Ajantha Mendis recorded the best bowling performance on debut in Twenty-20 international cricket by taking four for 15 against Zimbabwe at Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City on October 10, 2008.
Next day, on the same ground and in the same tournament, Kaushalya Weeraratne, the Sri Lankan right-arm medium-fast bowler joined this elite club by taking four for 19 off four overs against Pakistan.
Pragyan Ojha’s poise in trying conditions disguised his inexperience. Apart from having to make an international debut in a Twenty-20 World Cup opener, the Nottingham weather was unhelpful. It had rained all morning and afternoon, the sky remained overcast and temperatures were below 15C when Indians were bowling, leaving the spinner’s fingers cold and stiff.
He later said that bowling during Deccan Chargers’ victorious Indian Premier League campaign in South Africa during the winter had helped him to cope with the conditions. The experience gained by him after bowling successfully to quality international batsmen had increased his confidence and helped him back himself. A stint with Slaithwaite in the Huddersfield league a couple of years ago had also prepared Ojha for English conditions.
He came on in the ninth over, with Bangladesh on 72 for 2, and took two wickets in the space of five balls. He varied his pace, flighted the ball, and thrived in conditions that appeared more suited for fast bowling. His scalps were Bangladesh’s in-form players - Shakib Al Hasan, Twenty-20’s leading allrounder, and Junaid Siddique, who had raced to 41 off 21 balls.
Pragyan Ojha’s figures was the second best in Twenty-20 cricket by an Indian after Rudra Pratap Singh’s four for 13 against South Africa at Durban on September 20, 2007. Now his figures is third best by an Indian bowler in Twenty-20 cricket as Zaheer Khan took four wickts for 19 runs against Ireland at Nottingham on June 10,2009.
