At the same time, the action in the middle is heating up with teams in the ICL consistently posting higher scores than the opening encounters.
PANCHKULA: The chill’s set in with it snowing in the mountains just a few kilometres away as the crow flies.
At the same time, the action in the middle is heating up with teams in the ICL consistently posting higher scores than the opening encounters.
What makes for great players is the ability to come good when it really matters. Till now, Marvan Atapattu had done ok, but there was nothing exceptional that justified the halo. But on Wednesday, Atapattu cracked 64 to ensure Delhi Jets beat Chennai Superstars by six wickets.
Delhi Jets flew into the semifinals riding on their captain’s knock, overhauling the Chennai Superstars’ total of 174. Atapattu’s unbeaten innings came off 43 balls and contained six fours and two sixes.
For once, Inzamam-ul-Haq was unable to deliver for his side as Hyderabad Heroes lost by 53 runs to Kolkata Tigers in what was a must-win match for them.
The Tigers advanced to the semis while the Heroes faltered. The best bit for the organisers has been the coming good of the poster boys.
Haq, Chris Cairns, Ian Harvey and Craig McMillan have only added to their fan base with the commitment and zeal they have shown in the ICL. Atapattu had a slow start but he delivered when the chips were down.
His team needed a crucial win to wade past the morass that lesser points would have bogged them into — a world of number juggling where percentile factors like run rate move away from being just figures and assume omnipotence.
The captain not only put together a classy innings, but more importantly, he stuck around till the end ensuring that the tail did not have to come into play at all.
The foundation of the Jets’ innings was laid by an opening partnership of 62 between Taufiq Umar and Monsih Mishra which was busted by Thiru Kumaran — one of the consistent bowling discoveries of this event — in the sixth over.
However, the Superstars’ pace battery was unable to bring down the zooming Jets thereafter. Possibly, the pluck was missing from the Superstars’ challenge as they had already qualified for the semifinals going into this match.
Given the way the scores have been piling up in the last few games, the Tigers’ accumulation of 168 for five looked eminently achievable for the Heroes. Especially since Haq had been in imperious form in the earlier matches.
For Tigers, McMillan came good again for his side and knocked four sixes while rushing to a 50. Darren Maddy’s opening 32 and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala’s 33 aided the cause of marking out 168.
The first portent of ominous tidings for the Heroes came in the opening over of Nantie Hayward as he zeroed in on Ibrahim Khaleel’s middle stump.
Things got really out of hand in the second over as Sujay Tarafdar unleashed the most deadly six deliveries of this tournament.
His very second ball trapped Shashank Nag leg-before, the fifth one yielded the scalp of Nicky Boje who was brilliantly caught by Jhunjhunwala and the very next delivery had Chris Harris adjudged LBW to put the Tigers firmly in reach of the Heroes’ jugular.
Much now depended upon the pillar of Haq. However, Hayward’s first ball of the fifth over had the former Pak skipper trapped plumb in-front as the Heroes’ chase turned into zeroes.
Brief scoresChennai Superstars: 174-6 in 20 overs (Ian Harvey 30, Chris Read 38, R Sathish 29, S Saravanan 20*; Ali Murtuzza 2-24) lost to Delhi Jets: 178 for 4 in 19.2 overs (Marvan Atapattu 64*, Taufeeq Umar 20, M Mishra 37; T Kumaran 2-31) by 6 wickets
Kolkata Tigers: 168-5 in 20 overs (Craig McMillan 50, Darren Maddy 32, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala 33, Lance Klusener 24) beat Hyderabad Heroes: 115 all out in 16.2 overs (Abdul Razzaq 37, Azhar Mahmood 24; S Tarafdar 3-20, N Hayward 2-15, Lance Klusener 3-26) by 53 runs
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