'He's a class operator, great under pressure' - RCB head coach Andy Flower lauds Josh Hazlewood's heroics vs RR

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pulled off an epic heist on Thursday, April 24, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, defeating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 11 runs after looking down and out at one stage. However, Josh Hazlewood's heroics at the back end of the innings helped RCB snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Chasing a target of 206, Rajasthan were cruising with just 18 runs needed off the last two overs with five wickets in hand. All the momentum was on Rajasthan's side after Shubham Dubey and Dhruv Jurel had taken 22 runs off the 18th over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. However, Hazlewood single-handedly brought RCB into a commanding position by picking up two consecutive wickets in the penultimate over and conceding just one run. The final over was bowled by Yash Dayal, and it yielded only five runs as the home side registered a memorable win.

After the match, RCB head coach Andy Flower could not stop praising Hazlewood for his excellent spell of bowling. The Australian speedster went for 26 runs in his first two overs. However, he bounced back strongly to finish with figures of 4/33 in four overs. Flower said that Hazlewood's last two overs made the difference. The former Zimbabwe batter highlighted his ability to excel under pressure in any format of the game.

"I would probably refer to both of his last overs because his two overs went for seven, and he took three wickets in them. So I think both those overs showed the class of the guy. He's a class operator, a world-class bowler, great under pressure in any format of the game, thinks clearly, and has great skill," Flower said after the defeat of the Rajasthan Royals.

Flower opined that while Hazlewood is renowned for his heavy-length bowling, he has a variety of deliveries in his repertoire and knows exactly when to use each of them.

"I know he's known for his heavy-length bowling, but he's got some great all-round skills. He mixes in those yorkers, wide yorkers, slower balls, and he seems to know what type of ball to bowl at the right time. It's great having a guy like him in our side, part of a very strong three-pronged [pace] attack," Flower said.

While Bhuvneshwar and Yash Dayal proved to be expensive on Thursday, conceding runs at economy rates of 12.50 and 11, respectively, Flower noted that they have done a commendable job throughout the season.

"I thought Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] has been superb this season, and Yash [Dayal] was outstanding again today. That last over, I thought he showed outstanding skill and composure under pressure to repeatedly bowl yorkers like that. So I think those three quicks have been great for us so far this season. We've got some more work to do, obviously, to help us in this last third of the league matches, and Hazlewood certainly leads from the front in that regard," Flower stated.