Synopsis: Buoyed by McCullum and Smith’s opening blitzkrieg, Gujarat Lions were off to a rollicking start before the South African duo of Imran Tahir and Chris Morris broke their momentum. However, Morris returned as a batsman to give Lions a mighty scare.
Mighty scare
When Chris Morris walked into bat, Delhi needed 115 runs from a little more than nine overs. They had already lost four wickets, and the presence of JP Duminy was the only crumb of comfort for the home side. And judging by the manner in which they had batted so far, it gave little hope for Delhi’s fans. However, Morris had other plans.
The man, brought by the Daredevils for a whopping Rs 7 crore at this year’s auction, was about to unleash a well-orchestrated assault. The Protea would kick start his innings with a humongous six off James Faulkner. He then followed it up with three maximums in the following two overs — one off Dwayne Bravo — and two off leg spinner Praveen Tambe. In just three overs since his arrival, Morris had raced to 35 off just 13 deliveries, bringing the equation down to 57 runs from five overs.
With Duminy playing the anchor’s role to nicety, Daredevils were in with a chance. Apart from the Morris-Duminy stand, the dew and a wet outfield were troubling Gujarat’s bowlers. This meant Raina could not use his spinners any more, relying on Smith, Bravo and the experienced Praveen Kumar to finish the proceedings.
Sensing an opportunity, Morris, smashed Smith for three consecutive boundaries in the 17th over, to bring about his fifty. However, Duminy’s dismissal ended an incredible 87-run fifth wicket stand, which came off just 39 deliveries. However, the experienced Kumar kept his cool giving away only four runs in the penultimate over to keep Lions in the hunt.
Mighty scare
When Chris Morris walked into bat, Delhi needed 115 runs from a little more than nine overs. They had already lost four wickets, and the presence of JP Duminy was the only crumb of comfort for the home side. And judging by the manner in which they had batted so far, it gave little hope for Delhi’s fans. However, Morris had other plans.
The man, brought by the Daredevils for a whopping Rs 7 crore at this year’s auction, was about to unleash a well-orchestrated assault. The Protea would kick start his innings with a humongous six off James Faulkner. He then followed it up with three maximums in the following two overs — one off Dwayne Bravo — and two off leg spinner Praveen Tambe. In just three overs since his arrival, Morris had raced to 35 off just 13 deliveries, bringing the equation down to 57 runs from five overs.
With Duminy playing the anchor’s role to nicety, Daredevils were in with a chance. Apart from the Morris-Duminy stand, the dew and a wet outfield were troubling Gujarat’s bowlers. This meant Raina could not use his spinners any more, relying on Smith, Bravo and the experienced Praveen Kumar to finish the proceedings.
Sensing an opportunity, Morris, smashed Smith for three consecutive boundaries in the 17th over, to bring about his fifty. However, Duminy’s dismissal ended an incredible 87-run fifth wicket stand, which came off just 39 deliveries. However, the experienced Kumar kept his cool giving away only four runs in the penultimate over to keep Lions in the hunt.
0 comments:
Post a Comment