Naveen-ul-Haq was not at all happy with the kind of performance that the Lucknow Super Giants batting line-up along with KL Rahul put up against KKR last night.
Not only did the LSG batsmen bat poorly, but the bowling line-up, including Naveen-ul-Haq, was taken to the cleaners by the in-form Kolkata batsmen. Sunil Narine led the charge with another fantastic knock of 75+ at a strike rate of 207 with Phil Salt and Shreyas Iyer, among others, chipping in to help KKR achieve a mammoth target of 236 on the board.
While speaking at the post-match press conference at Ekana Stadium, Naveen-ul-Haq did not criticize their performances but criticized the batting department. In his opinion, the wicket he stood yesterday was a tailor-made track for the batsmen and was the best batting surface on Ekana that he had seen in IPL 2024 so far.
Naveen-ul-Haq wanted to convey that the target of 236 should have been pursued as the surface was much more favorable for the batsmen. The Afghan seamer claimed that the intent was somehow lacking in the LSG batting department and they did not do the things they had been doing during the difficult chases.
He then gave the example of how LSG was able to chase down 211 during their away match against the Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk Stadium. But Naveen-ul-Haq noticed that the surface in the second innings was not that similar and thought that since there was not much for the bowlers, the batsmen should have done much better.
“The wicket was pretty good. From the number of games we have played so far here in Lucknow, I think this was the best wicket to bat on. But we didn’t do the similar things that we did in the chases so far. “In the match we “We played in Chepauk we also chased the score but it didn’t turn out to be the same, they played well.”
“The wicket wasn’t bad or anything I can say or stopped or held on. Nothing worked for the bowlers, they bowled well but we didn’t bat well at all.” – Naveen said during the press conference.
Naveen gives his opinion on LSG team selection
Naveen-ul-Haq was also asked to shed light on the Lucknow Super Giants playing XI selection process and he had a brilliant response. The Afghan stated that he is neither the coach nor the captain of the team so he does not know about the team, how can he reflect on the things that happen behind the scenes?
“Sir, I am neither the coach nor the captain. I am a player. I don’t know about my own team, what can I say about others? So I don’t know what happens behind the scenes.” – Naveen concluded.
LSG must beat SRH in their next game to have playoff hopes
Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants have an imperative task on their hands as they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next league phase match. LSG must beat the Orange Army to keep their hopes of reaching the play-offs in IPL 2024 alive.