Soft dismissal after three straight sixes; Sanju Samson makes lacklustre World Cup debut

NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson threw away his wicket heedlessly after showing glimpses of returning to form. The Malayali star was dismissed for 22 runs off eight balls in the match against Namibia. All of Sanju’s runs came from boundaries. The Kerala batsman’s innings included three sixes and a four.

Sanju could not score a single run in the first three balls he faced. However, he responded in thundering style by hitting all the next three balls out for sixes. A great cover drive to a four from Sanju was reassuring, instilling hopes among his fans of a return to form.

However, on the last ball of the second over, bowled by Ben Shikongo, Sanju was caught by Lauren Steenkamp near the deep mid-wicket boundary. Sanju fell straight into the slow-ball trap set by Shikongo. The disappointment of not being able to capitalise on a good start was evident on the player's face. Sanju's entry into the playing eleven was made possible by the absence of Abhishek Sharma due to physical difficulties.