The Fastest Bowler in IPL 2024

 Mayank Yadav

    The fastest ball of IPL 2024 belongs to the Delhi Speedster Mayank Yadav. The 21 year old has been the new speed sensation of IPL 2024. Mayank Yadav made his T20 debut for Delhi in 2022. He has so far played only 1 First class match, where he picked up 2 wickets for 46 runs. He has an experience of 17 List A matches and 11 T20 matches. His record in List A matches reads 34 wickets at an average of 21.55. While in T20 matches he has picked up 15 wickets at an average of 14.26.

Mayank Yadav

The lanky speedster has raw pace and can hurry even the best of batsmen. He was bought by Lucknow Super Giants in 2023, but couldn't make his debut that year because of an injury. In the current year 2024, he made his debut for LSG against Punjab Kings. In the match, he picked up 3 important wickets for 23 runs. His scalps included Johny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma. his spell reduced Punjab Kings from 100/0 to 139/3. While doing so, he sent down the fastest delivery of IPL 2024, clocking 155.8 Kmph. He was adjudged the player of the match for his fine performance with the ball.In his second IPL match, he proved that his performance in the first match was not a one-time wonder. In the match he picked up 3 wickets for just 14 runs in his 4 overs. In the match, he breached the 150kmph barrier and delivered the fastest delivery of IPL 2024 at 156.7 Kmph. In his third match, he was injured and left the field.

Injury has been a problem for the pacer and he needs to be nurtured well by the management keeping in view of a longer and extended scheme of cricketing journey. Mayank Yadav has good line and length in addition to his raw pace and this makes him more lethal. But again these are early days for us to jump into conclusions. We have seen many pacers who came to the limelight due to sheer pace but couldn't remain there, due to wayward line and length or injury problems. But let's hope, Mayank can withstand the pressures, improve consistently and be a part of the Indian pace attack.

Gerald Coetzee: Confusion over record

Initially, confusion prevailed regarding the fastest delivery of IPL 2024. During a match of Mumbai Indians versus Rajasthan Royals, the Mumbai Indians pacer Gerald Coetzee was supposedly shown to have bowled a delivery at 157.4 Kmph. So naturally this would have been the fastest delivery of IPL 2024. But later when Mayank Yadav delivered the 156.7 Kmph delivery, he was displayed as the fastest bowler. Later the official list in X platform put by BCCI also displayed Mayank Yadav as the fastest bowler of IPL 2024. There might have been an error in the speedometer or display, which has shown the delivery of Coetzee as the fastest one initially.

Gerald Coetzee

 

 

Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh Test Series 2024

 

After a closely fought T20 and ODI series, much was expected in the recently concluded test series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. But the visitors claimed the test series 2-0 with some ease. Bangladesh failed to put up a true fight in the series. Bangladesh had played their first test match in the year 2000 against India, and it has been now 24 years since then. But the Bangladesh team is yet to make a strong statement in the Test arena. They have produced some strong individual performances but failed to do it consistently and perform as a team. Srilanka on the other hand had put up a spirited display in the t2 test match series. Srilankan pacers performed exceedingly well and played an important role in their series win. Along with pacers, Srilankan batsmen also performed well and showed patience and class in crunch situations.

Rajitha Fernando

First Test, Sylhet

The first test in the series against Srilanka was played at Sylhet. In the first innings, Bangladesh started strongly, when they had Srilanka 57/5 at one stage of the innings. But Dhananjaya Desilva and Kamidu Mendis went on to score centuries, to lift the Srilankan score to 280. Khaled Ahmed and Nahid Rana picked up 3 wickets each for Bangladesh. Now, it was a good performance from the Bangladesh bowlers as they had restricted Srilanka to below 300. It was a good chance for Bangladesh to surge ahead in the match. But the Bangladesh batsmen failed to read the Srilankan pacers and were all out for 188. Taijul Islam (47) and Litton Das were the top scorers of the innings.

Mominul Haque

 Vishwa Fernando picked up 4 wickets for Srilanka, while Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara picked up 3 wickets each. So Srilanka had a lead of close to 100 in the first innings and the pitch has given some aid to the pacers. In the second innings, once again Kamidu Mendis (108) and Dhananjaya Desilva (164) scored centuries to take the second innings score to 418. Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked up 4 wickets. But the pitch had more help to the pacers, and they could have performed better. Nahid Rana and Taijjul Islam picked up two wickets each, while Shoriful Islam and Khaled Ahmed picked up 1 wicket apiece. Chasing a target of 511 runs, Bangladesh could only score 182 runs. Only Mominul Haque put up a fight when he scored 87 runs and remained not out. Five Bangladesh batsmen were out for a duck. At the end of day 4 of the match, Srilanka won the match by a huge margin of 328 runs. Kasun Rajith picked 5 wickets, while Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara scalped 3 and 2 wickets in the second innings. Interestingly 20 Bangladesh wickets were picked by Srilankan pacers. 

Dhananjaya DeSilva

Second Test, Chattogram

After the dismal performance in the first test, the Bangladesh team had a chance to draw the series. But Srilankan batsmen once again batted beautifully and posted a huge first-innings score of 531. Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis missed their centuries by a margin of less than 10 runs. 6 Srilankan batsmen crossed the half-century mark in the first innings. Shakib Al Hassan picked up 3 wickets. Once again Bangladesh batsmen failed miserably and could muster just 178 runs. Only 1 Bangladeshi batsman Zakir Hasan crossed half century mark. Once again the Srilankan pacers picked 8 off the 10 wickets. Asitha Fernando picked 4 wickets. Bangladesh had conceded a huge first-innings lead of 353 runs. Srilanka declared their second innings on the score 157/7, with Angelo Mathews scoring 56. Mahmud Hasan picked up 4 wickets for Bangladesh. Once again Bangladesh was set a target of 500 excess and writing was on the wall. But this time Bangladesh batsmen performed reasonably well and went on to score 318 runs. Mominul Haque (50) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (81*) made half-centuries for Bangladesh. Lahiru Kumara picked 4 Bangladeshi wickets. Kamindu Mendis picked 3 wickets. 

Kamindu Mendis