IPL Week 4 Notes: Hogg bamboozles CSK at ripe old age of 44

The opposite ends of cricket’s circle of life have never been as close as they are during the T20 era, where young bucks find getting a start in the game easier to come by and wily old pros ease their weary limbs into retirement.

In the fourth week of the IPL, the polar ends of the playing spectrum took centre stage as the fearlessness of youth and wisdom of experience were on display in equal, entertaining measure:

Sarfaraz Khan

The 17-year-old made last week’s notes for being the youngest player ever to be selected for an IPL game, this week it’s his batting that has set tongues wagging.

Looking like he’s split his teenage years evenly between the cricket field and the sweet shop, Sarfaraz blazed 45 off 21 balls, including a reverse sweep with the back of the bat, in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s eventually-washed-out clash against the Rajasthan Royals:

VIDEO: Watch young Sarfaraz Khan smash 45 off 21 balls against #RR https://t.co/Bg0qR5P066 @RCBTweets #RCB #IPL

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 30, 2015

Rahane streets ahead

The Rajasthan Royals, 4/6 to beat the Hyderabad Sunrisers next time out, are keeping pace with the Chennai Super Kings at the top of the table.

Ajinkya Rahane is largely to thank for that, as he continued his supreme form with the bat with an unbeaten 91 against the Delhi Daredevils.

It was the opener’s fourth 50 of the tournament and put him 48 runs ahead of David Warner in the top runscorer stakes.

Interestingly, Rahane has used his touch, rather than power hitting, to compile his runs:

Most doubles (2s) run in #IPL 2015 35 A Rahane 20 D Warner 18 R Sharma/R Uthappa 17 JP Duminy/G Bailey 16 S Smith 15 W Saha

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) May 4, 2015

Most singles run in #IPL 2015 134 A Rahane 87 JP Duminy 84 V Kohli 80 S Dhawan 79 R Sharma 77 G Gambhir 75 D Miller

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) May 4, 2015

Defying his age

At 44, Brad Hogg has become the oldest player selected for an IPL game, but looks about as ready to call it a day as a school kid playing back-yard football before starting his homework.

The Aussie took 4-29 for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Super Kings, claiming the wickets of Brendon McCullum, Faf Du Plessis and Ravindra Jadeja in his four-over spell.

Yesterday 17 year-old Sarfaraz Khan scored a 21-ball 45*, today 44 year-old Brad Hogg has taken 4-29. #LoveCricket #IPL #KKRvCSK #KKR #CSK

— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) April 30, 2015

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