Former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Tom Moody lauded youngster Abdul Samad for his power game and capacity to hit massive sixes by drawing comparisons to the big-hitting Yusuf Pathan.
On Sunday, May 7, in Jaipur, Samad smashed a six off Sandeep Sharma’s final ball to help the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeat the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Abdul Samad’s explosive knock of 17 runs off 7 balls, which included two maximums, helped SRH preserve its contention for the playoffs.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Tom Moody stated that the knock could be a turning point in Samad’s career.
“What Abdul Samad has got as a young, emerging player is a rare ability to hit the ball out of the ground,” Moody said. “He reminds me of a young Yusuf Pathan. He’s got that strength, power, and it’s a very hard role to play. I hope this sends the team management a message that they’ve got the right player. Forget about the player having confidence, you need the organization, and I think if you look at his erratic selection over the last two years, I think that, hopefully, this is the turning point for him.”
Tom Moody was part of the Hyderabad side as their director in 2021 and later became the head coach in 2022. Since joining the SRH lineup in 2020, the big-hitting right-hander has scored 354 runs at an average of 18.63 and a strike rate of 136.68, but he has only displayed glimpses of his potential.
Samad only made an impression at times, but SRH recognized his potential and supported him by retaining him in the 2022 auction.