Tom Moody blames fielders for drubbing by KKR

Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody Saturday blamed his fielders for their loss to Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens here and attributed inconsistencies behind his team’s failure to secure a berth into the playoffs of the Indian Premier League.

Hyderabad dropped KKR batsman Yusuf Pathan twice in the match as he went on to hit a 22 ball 72 to humble them by four wickets.

“If your fielders do not support your bowlers you will come second every single time. We know how dangerous Yusuf can be and dropping him first ball and then later again, you will have to pay the price.

“We are only ourselves to blame for the loss after we posted a competitive total which we should have defended,” Moody said at the post-match press conference.

Asserting that a score of 160 on a slow Eden wicket was competitive, Moody said that losing Shikhar Dhawan at a crucial juncture was a key moment in the match.

“The surface wasn’t easy and the total we posted was competitive but losing Shikhar Dhawan through a run out halted our momentum,” he said.

Talking about pace spearhead Dale Steyn who was plundered for 43 runs of his four overs, Moody said: “Some of the bigger stars have not performed, Steyn is not alone. There are several big players whether international or Indian haven’t stepped up and delivered”.

Refusing to blame individuals, Moody said the responsibility was on the entire team.

“We missed out on being the top four teams in the tournament because we lacked consistency,” said Moody whose team is now placed sixth in the points table with six wins from 13 matches.