Ken Borland

The Pune Warriors ran into Virender Sehwag at his best, losing their Indian Premier League match against the Delhi Daredevils by eight wickets at their Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Tuesday.

– http://www.supersport.com/cricket/indian-premier-league/news/120424/Pune_lose_to_Sehwag_scorcher

Sehwag was in hot form, hammering 87 not out off just 48 balls, his scorching strokeplay bringing him 10 fours and three sixes as Delhi cantered to their target of 147 with four overs to spare.

The Indian opener showed once again why he is such a class act, timing and placing the ball magnificently and working the bowlers with great skill through the on-side and being as ruthless as ever when he was given space outside off stump.

Sehwag laughed off his involvement in an awful mix-up with Mahela Jayawardena, who was run out for 18 when Luke Wright suddenly emerged from behind the square-leg umpire and fired in a quick throw to wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa.

The Daredevils were 22 for one in the third over, but Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen quickly banished any hopes Pune had of securing their second victory over Delhi as they added 89 for the second wicket in 8.2 overs.

Pietersen scored a comfortable 27 off 21 balls before he skied a drive off leg-spinner Rahul Sharma, but Sehwag stayed through to the end in a top-class innings, flatbatting Rahul for a straight six to end the match.

Rahul finished his four overs with 1-33 but, although none of the other Pune bowlers could take a wicket, South African seamer Alfonso Thomas (2-0-14-0) and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik (4-0-26-0) were economical.

It was not a good evening though for left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra (3-0-34-0) nor seamer Wright (2-0-24-0).

The Pune Warriors recovered to 146 for two because of a brilliant century stand between Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa.

Pandey and Uthappa added 120 for the third wicket off 112 balls, finishing not out on 80 and 60 respectively. They’re both experienced IPL campaigners, so they didn’t let the shock of Pune being reduced to one for two in the second over get to them as they sensibly built a partnership before lashing out in the closing overs.

It was not the best performance in the field by the Delhi Daredevils as Pandey was dropped three times, Pietersen missing a sitter at long-on off Pawan Negi on 20, and Shahbaz Nadeem and Negi dropping return catches on 44 and 56. Their ground fielding was also not faultless.

Pandey used beautifully-timed, classical strokes with a straight bat, plus some innovation, to strike seven fours and three sixes in his fine innings of 80 not out off 56 balls.

Uthappa played within himself, allowing Pandey to accelerate, but his 60 not out off 58 balls included six fours and was a great supporting act.

The Warriors had elected to bat first, but made a disastrous start as Irfan Pathan’s second ball kept low to bowl Jesse Ryder for a duck and Saurav Ganguly (1) sliced Morne Morkel’s second ball to third man.

Morkel finished with 1-34 in his four overs, but Pathan, with one for 24, and left-arm spinners Negi and Nadeem, who each conceded just 22 runs in their four overs, did the most to restrict Pandey and Uthappa.

Morne Morkel continued his wonderful form with the ball as he set up the Delhi Daredevils’ eight-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.

– http://www.supersport.com/cricket/article.aspx?id=1328391

The strike bowler, one of four South Africans in action in the match, took 3-18 as Kolkata, who were sent in to bat, were restricted to 97 for nine in their 12 overs in a rain-reduced match.

Morkel’s batsmen then made slightly heavy weather of the chase and it needed new-ball bowler Irfan Pathan’s 42 not out off just 20 balls to see Delhi home with five balls remaining.

After captain Virender Sehwag was well-caught by Iqbal Abdulla, running around the long-on boundary, off Rajat Bhatia for 20 off 13 balls, the Daredevils were 57 for two in the eighth over, needing 41 off 28 balls.

Medium-pacer Bhatia finished the over well and Delhi needed 39 off the last four overs, with Irfan having faced just four balls.

But he hit Jacques Kallis for six in the next over and then he hammered Marchant de Lange for two more sixes in the 10th over to get the required run-rate down to less than a run-a-ball.

It was surprising that Kolkata captain Gautam Gambhir decided to bowl the inexperienced De Lange in the 11th over, the rookie South African conceding 17 runs as he bowled too short to Irfan, with the vastly-experienced Brett Lee still having an over left.

Aaron Finch scored 30 to ensure the Daredevils were off to a solid start, before Kallis (3-0-23-1) bowled a precise cutter to bowl the Australian.

De Lange had done much to ruffle the batsmen with some fiery bowling but Irfan was able to take his team home.

BRILLIANT YORKERS

Delhi Daredevils fast bowlers Morkel and Umesh Yadav had earlier crippled the Kolkata Knight Riders innings as they restricted them to 97 for nine in their 12 overs.

Morkel set the tone for the Daredevils’ dominance as he bowled Kallis (4) and Manoj Tiwary (0) with brilliant yorkers off successive deliveries on his way to superb figures of three for 18 in his three overs.

The South African giant had an impressive supporter in Indian star Yadav, who took two for nine in two overs, conceding just three runs in the penultimate over and claiming the wicket of top-scorer Laxmi Shukla for 26.

The match was played over 12-overs-a-side after a rain delay of two-and-a-half hours in Kolkata and, after being sent in to bat, the Knight Riders were quickly in trouble as Morkel and Roelof van der Merwe, his teammate at the Titans, reduced them to 20 for three after three overs.

Left-arm spinner Van der Merwe trapped Brendon McCullum lbw for nine before Morkel’s double-strike. Things only got worse for the Knight Riders as Yadav, who is not short of pace, had Yusuf Pathan caught behind for a duck as he got himself into a tangle against a short-pitched delivery.

Morkel, who took 6-23 in national colours in his last outing, then returned to bowl Indian star Gambhir, who failed to handle the extra bounce and chopped on, for 16.

Kolkata were 54 for five, but the Daredevils were guilty of taking their foot off the throat a bit as Debabrata Das was dropped on two and Shukla was able to hammer a four and two sixes.

Das scored 18 off nine balls and Shukla 26 off 17 but not even their efforts could save Kolkata from a half-baked innings.

Excellent bowling at the death by Yadav and Van der Merwe ensured that the Knight Riders’ run-rate never rose to any great extent, despite some lusty blows by Das and Shukla.

Morkel was obviously the best of the Delhi bowlers, but the efforts of Yadav and Van der Merwe (two for 28) were also of great value.