Twitter Reactions: Andre Russell's 19-ball 65-run blitz leads Kings to victory in five-over shootout against Gladiators

A match between two power packed sides had to again suffer to the hands of rain in the ongoing LPL. The Galle Gladiators and the Colombo Kings are probably two sides with some of the biggest hitters in their line-ups. Fans were eagerly waiting for this match to see which team would finish on top.

However, the rain gods did not want this to happen. The constant rain ensured that we could get ourselves a game of only five overs a side. Nevertheless, the batting display we witnessed was definitely worth the wait. The Gladiators won the toss and opted to bowl first. A five-over encounter meant that both teams sent their power hitters in to bat.

For the Kings, the big hitting Andre Russell opened alongside T de Silva. The former who had been a big let down in the recently concluded IPL finally came to the party. He scored an unbeaten 65 in just 19 deliveries. He reached his fifty in just 14 balls. His magnificent knock included nine boundaries and four sixes. Laurie Evans too played a supporting hand as he scored 21 runs in just 10 balls.

The King’s finished with 96 runs at the end of their fiver overs thanks to a special batting effort. When the opponent scores 96 runs in five overs you don’t expect any bowler to have good figures. That is exactly what happened with the Gladiators. Perhaps their best bowler Mohammad Amir had to bear the maximum brunt. He went for 46 runs in the two overs he bowled.

Galle Gladiators fail to chase down the mammoth total

Coming to the chase, their batsmen tried their best but they could only manage to score 62 runs in their five overs. Ashan Priyanjan came up with a special effort as he conceded only 1 run in his over while also getting the wicket of Hazratullah Zazai.

Danushka Gunathilaka scored 30 runs in 15 balls while Afridi and Azam Khan chipped in with a few runs. They eventually fell well short of the target. It’s not often that we see teams win by 34 runs in a game of just five overs. Andre Russell was awarded man of the match for the brilliant inning that he played.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

Players like Andre Russell best in the world t20 cricketer but still can't make it to the windies team. #NZvsWI

— Utkarsh Tyagi (@Youtie25) November 29, 2020

0 6 4 6 4 4 6 2 4 4 4 1 4 4 1 0 4 6 1

Andre Russell's innings in the #LPL yesterday. Unbelievable stuff.#LPL2020 #LPLT20 #Cricket

— CricBlog ✍ (@cric_blog) November 29, 2020

Andre Russell simply destroyed the bowlers with a hammering 65* off 19 balls which includes 9 fours and 4 sixes. Colombo Kings make 96/1 in their allotted 5 overs. 🔥
Is Russell HUMAN ???? 😶😳🔥#LPLT20

— Rhitankar Bandyopadhyay (@rhitankar1011) November 28, 2020

Dre Russ 🙇🙇
Unbelievable hitting🔥#andrerussell

— Dipender Yadav (@dipenderyadav2) November 28, 2020

Andre Russell scores a 14-ball fifty in Lanka Premier League. This is second fastest fifty by a West Indies batsman in T20s, Chris Gayle smashed in 12 balls in Big Bash League.

— Shreenath (@MRS220301) November 29, 2020

Andre Russell 65(19) in Lanka Premier League after a disastrous IPL season. pic.twitter.com/67imlSK9Oh

— SAYAN 🌙 (@Sayanx7_) November 29, 2020

Aaron Finch – 114 (124)
Shahid Afridi – 58 (23)
Andre Russell – 65 (19)
Glenn Maxwell – 45 (19) pic.twitter.com/ElgckhuOeR

— Ommi Gangawane🇮🇳 (@ohhh_mii) November 29, 2020

So Andre Russell hit 65 of just 19 balls 😯

— abdulla wasay (@wasay7) November 28, 2020

Still thinking what did boom boom missed today🤔why didn't he bowl him self with 2 overs?🤔🤔when amir is going for plenty.#LPLT20 #LPL20 #lpLt2020 #GalleGladiators #BOOM #ShahidAfridi #andrerussell

— ALGUL (@404AlGul) November 28, 2020

Andre Russell- 65*(19) with 4 sixes in a 5 over Match… 🔥🔥👏👏#AndreRussell
New member of the "Glenn Maxwell ipl teams ko choona lagana" academy( members- Finch,Neesham,Finch, Maxwell (president))

Meanwhile KKR management & fans- pic.twitter.com/0on7b9Sp7N

— Shoronjeet Banerjee (@shoronjeet16) November 28, 2020