Vivo IPL 2021: Behrendorff, Ngidi not available for another CSK game: Stephen Fleming.
Vivo IPL 2021: Head coach Stephen Fleming in the post-match conference after the defeat against Delhi Capitals in the first match said CSK got a huge setback after Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood pulled back from the IPL 2021. The three-times champion side was in serious trouble as there was no prominent overseas bowling option left in the side for the first game.
Hazlewood pulled back due to covid-19 surge in India and to be mentally and physically fit for the upcoming Australian national cricket calendar. CSK last week announced that Jason Behrendorff who also hails from Australia will join the team as a replacement for Hazlewood.
However, the pacer is yet to arrive and serve the quarantine. In addition to that South African pacer, Lungi Ngidi was also not available for the game as he is yet to fly to India.
Fleming further said that both the pacers Lungi Ngidi and Jason Behrendorff will not be available for another game.
“(Lungi) Ngidi won’t be available. He won’t be arriving in time for the next game. So losing Josh Hazlewood, which was the plan to have him available for these games, is a blow simply as an option upfront,” Fleming said in the post-match press conference.
“Ngidi will be arriving soon. (Jason) Behrendorff would obviously be following that. It’s (bowling) an area that we are probably short on.
“But we still expect a bit more from the rest of the bowlers we have.”
Delhi Capitals registered a comprehensive win against CSK last night, chasing down the target in the 19th over with openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithwi Shaw doing most of the work at the beginning.
All the teams will be playing in neutral venues due to the restrictions posed by the pandemic.
“Mumbai Indians also faced challenges to adapt the Chennai’s conditions in the opener and we also went in the same order in Wankhede Stadium. We will learn a lot of things from this game and will adapt to the conditions for the future games.”
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