The Legends League Cricket tournament presents fans with an opportunity to watch players from years gone by continue to work their magic and show off their skills. A match between Gujarat Giants and Manipal Tigers at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu presented such an opportunity once again, as S Sreesanth provided a throwback to an event from 2006.
Sreesanth was in to bat for the Giants at number 10, on a difficult and slow wicket which his team had found run-scoring difficult on.
Sreesanth came in to bat in the 19th over with the score at 117/8, and provided a moment to remember for his team that very same over.
Facing off against Australian Dan Christian, Sreesanth introduced himself to the crease by clearing his front leg and hitting a huge six over long on.
Sreesanth’s teammated Mohammed Kaif can be seen laughing along with Shikhar Dhawan at the humongous shot played by the fast bowler, giving a disbelieving look at seeing how far the ball had landed in the stadium.
Fans were reminded of Sreesanth’s most famous moment with bat in international cricket, when he dealt a similar blow to Andre Nel of South Africa in a 2006 Test match in an iconic and heated confrontation between the two.
That match in Johannesburg saw the big South African fast bowler try and sledge Sreesanth, trying to rile up the notoriously hot-headed Indian pacer. However, Sreesanth got the last laugh, as the very next ball after that incident, he stepped down the wicket and lofted Nel straight back over his head for six.
A pumped-up Sreesanth would go on to celebrate in an exuberant fashion, staring down Nel and whipping his bat around his own head as if in a rodeo. It became one of the most memorable moments from Sreesanth’s career, one where he was never hesitant to give back as good as he got against opposition players.
Six not enough for Sreesanth
Unfortunately for Sreesanth’s team in the LLC, the six he hit wouldn’t make much of a difference. The Giants, captained by recently-retired Shikhar Dhawan, could only limp to a total of 131 in Jammu in difficult conditions.
In response, Harbhajan Singh’s Manipal Tigers made quick work of the target, hunting down 132 with three overs to spare. Sri Lankan Thisara Perera was the star with 38 runs off just 22 balls, and Sreesanth went wicketless in this match.
