If you ask any batsman what their worst nightmare is, the following would invariably feature:
- Getting run out on zero
- Getting run out off the first ball you face
- And perhaps the worst, getting run out off a free hit
In the Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi on Friday, Moeen Ali ticked all three of those boxes simultaneously.
Facing a free hit off Shahbaz Nadeem’s bowling, Ali hit the ball straight to Rashid Khan at cover and took off for a single. But, given that run out is the only way a batsman could actually be out off a free hit, the worst-case scenario came true for the RCB and England allrounder.
And it was quite the direct hit from Rashid Khan too, who might have finished his bowling without a wicket but made a big impact on the match as he almost always does.
