Cricket: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders: 41st T20 (IPL 2012), Highlights

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers: 40th T20 (IPL 2012), Highlights Reel

After their first win on Thursday following five consecutive losses, Deccan Chargers were back to being what they have been this IPL season - dismal and disappointing. Once again, a decent start proved to be a false dawn. Once again, they had only themselves to blame. On a greenish Wankhede pitch aiding fast bowlers, Chargers allowed Harbhajan Singh figures of 4-0-13-2. They contrived to lose regular wickets, hitting wide balls straight to fielders. And they did not have another bowler remotely in the class of Dale Steyn, who tormented the home batsmen nearly every delivery he bowled.

Not that Chargers did not try, initially at least. Their captain Kumar Sangakkara, with 83 runs in five games at a strike-rate of 95.40, sat out the game. Chargers made three more changes. Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel even managed to add 37 by the sixth over, which was not a bad start given the appreciable swing and bounce RP Singh was getting.

And then they fell apart. Six wickets went down in the space of 7.3 overs for 29 runs. Parthiv checked his drive to an RP slower delivery but ended up chipping it to mid-on. With Cameron White, JP Duminy and Daniel Christian available, Chargers sent Ishank Jaggi at No. 3. After looking clueless against pace for six deliveries, Jaggi tried to attack Harbhajan and found mid-off. White slashed his first delivery to third man; Christian was to cut his fifth straight to point.

In between, Dhawan, having watched his side implode, charged out to Harbhajan, only to be stumped for 29. It was to be the highest score by a Chargers batsman tonight. Harbhajan kept the pressure up, firing some in, tossing many up, and varying his pace.

Though Duminy tried to ensure Chargers at least played out their 20 overs, their lower order crumbled against Lasith Malinga by the 19th. It wasn't an easy pitch to bat on by any means but Chargers needed something truly special from Steyn to even challenge Mumbai Indians.

Steyn tried as hard as he could. He knocked back Richard Levi's stumps first ball of the chase with a pacy outswinger. He could have had Rohit Sharma four times in four deliveries, but the ball beat the outside edge each time. Steyn came back in the ninth over, with a forward short leg to Dinesh Karthik, who immediately nibbled one through to the wicketkeeper.

Steyn could have had a third wicket, and Chargers could have still made a match of it, had Amit Mishra not put down a straightforward chance off James Franklin at third man with 36 needed off 44. The scorebook recorded a spell of 4-0-10-2, but it did not reveal the extent of the pressure Steyn created, even in a chase of just 101.

Rohit's luck, though, was to earn him an invaluable 42 runs, and ultimately prove decisive. He was beaten on the drive, he was beaten on the cut, and he was beaten on the defensive push. Inside edges eluded the stumps. An airy push went just over extra cover, a clip just past midwicket. But today, Rohit had more lives than a cat. By the time he finally threw it away, holing out down the ground off Duminy, Mumbai Indians needed only 26 off 36.

The home side handed the visitors another chance, when Franklin gloved a hook to the keeper, but Mishra was to again give it away. A wide, a full toss and a short ball in his poor 18th over that went for 14 finally shut the door on Chargers, leaving them with their sixth loss in seven completed games.

Delhi Daredevils v Rajasthan Royals: 39th T20 (IPL 2012), Short Highlights

Morne Morkel bowled a sensational penultimate over to turn a straightforward chase from Rajasthan Royals on its head and snatch victory for Delhi Daredevils. The victory creates daylight between Daredevils and the rest of the chasing pack, as they remain at the top of the points table.

Royals required 15 runs off the last two overs, with nine wickets in hand and victory seemed a foregone conclusion. But, Morkel gave away only three runs in an over filled with yorkers and claimed the wicket of Brad Hodge to set up a tense final over. The fourth ball was fired down the leg side but the umpire, to Hodge's surprise, didn't call a wide. It was a crucial decision as only one run separated the teams in the end.

Umesh Yadav was tasked with defending 12 runs for Daredevils against the in-form Ajinkya Rahane. Yadav started off with a fast full toss that Rahane missed. Desperation took over as Rahane looked to smash the next delivery, no matter what its length, and ended up mistiming his slices and breaking his bat. Owais Shah stole a single off the inside edge before Rahane hit the first six of the Royals innings, off a full toss to take back the advantage.

Two more runs came off the penultimate ball, which left two to get off the final one. Yadav kept it full, Rahane missed but ran anyway and Shah was not quick enough. Naman Ojha hit the stumps to run Shah out and deny Rahane victory, leaving him unbeaten on 84.

Rahane and Rahul Dravid are the most successful opening pair in this edition of the IPL and they showed why with a stand of 99 to set up the chase. Rahane started their reply in quietly confident fashion when Rahane flicked the first ball he faced - a poor one on legstump line from Irfan Pathan - for four.

Dravid rolled out his vintage drives and showed off powerful pulls as the Daredevils bowlers' lines and lengths presented no challenge. The two combined in a partnership that looked too easy, Dravid played with Sehwag-esque styled aggression while Rahane, once again, impressed with his timing and poise.

By the end of the eighth over, Royals needed less than 100 runs to win and Rahane and Dravid had racked up the same number of runs, 27 each. Rahane eclipsed his captain, reclaimed the orange cap and brought up his 50 with a finesse-filled flick to on the leg-side.

Daredevils thought they had some success when Dravid began walking after a cut that was thought to be caught behind but umpire Rod Tucker called him back. Tucker said he gave Dravid out when he saw him walking as it was the end of the over, but the misunderstanding gave Dravid a lifeline. He added only three more runs after that incident and was caught at long-on by a leaping Ajit Agarkar.

Rahane was unmoved by the dismissal and marched on, right to the brink of victory. He was only tripped up in the penultimate over and even then did not give up without a fight, as he scooped Yadav for six and very nearly gave Royals victory.

Daredevils may have thought their total was not enough after an underwhelming effort with the bat, save for Virender Sehwag's half-century and a last-over blitz from Nagar. Sehwag became the first player to score four consecutive half-centuries in the IPL and rebuilt Daredevils innings by himself after two early blows.

Mahela Jayawardene and Kevin Pietersen were dismissed in the first three overs but Sehwag's full range of shots was on hand to resurrect matters. He pulled, reverse swept, drove and struck two stunning sixes over long-off and long-on. Just as he threatened to take the innings away from Royals, they dismissed him when Ashok Menaria took a well-judged catch off a back foot cut.

Ross Taylor had been an almost absent partner in the stand with Sehwag and was bowled the over after Sehwag departed. Taylor looked to take a Pankaj delivery from outside off and flick on the leg-side but did not make contact and was bowled.

Brad Hogg's wrong un's and Cooper and Amit Singh's changes of pace ensured Ojha and Nagar could barely get away. Ojha managed a six before mistiming a shot to long-on but Nagar enjoyed a good last over, hitting two full tosses for six to push Daredevils past 150. In the end, it was just enough.