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Classy Rahul sets up Lucknow Super Giant’s big win
Despite yet another enthralling cameo from MS Dhoni – this time pushing Chennai Super Kings to a good total on a tacky surface – CSK finished second best in Lucknow. KL Rahul was largely responsible for that outcome as he smashed a fine 53-ball 82 in the chase. Quinton de Kock got runs too as CSK struggled for wickets and eventually conceded the game in 19 overs.
Ajinkya Rahane, sent to open the CSK innings once again, started off with a classical backfoot punch through point on the second ball, but this was a PowerPlay where run-making wasn’t straightforward for the holders. Rachin Ravindra’s lean run extended to five games as he was cleaned up on the first ball of the second over by Mohsin Khan while trying to take a wild swipe at it.
Though LSG used pace all through the PowerPlay, the ball didn’t quite come on to the bat for the batters to easily hit through the line. Yash Thakur arrived in the fifth over to nick off Ruturaj Gaikwad for 17 off 13.
CSK promoted Ravindra Jadeja, perhaps to deal with pace in the PowerPlay before they could unleash Shivam Dube on the spinners in the middle. Rahane got a couple of boundaries off Ravi Bishnoi but was cleaned up by Krunal Pandya in the ninth over, falling for a 24-ball 36. This was the fourth time in 52 balls that Rahane fell to the left-arm spinner in the IPL. Shivam Dube’s arrival came with the anticipation of quick runs against the spinners but they tied him down by firing balls at close to 100kmph. He couldn’t tee off straight away like he’s done before this season, and managed just three runs off his first seven balls – all from spinners.
Rahul went back to pace and even used Marcus Stoinis on the tacky surface with immediate dividends. The Australian, who has barely bowled this season, struck first ball with a short ball to Dube. The CSK batter pulled clumsily and was caught by Rahul. CSK went to Sameer Rizvi as their impact substitute, but he lasted all of five balls for one run – getting stumped off Krunal.
Rahul managed his bowlers perfectly well in the middle-overs, a phase where CSK scored at a lowly rate of 6.2 an over.
MS Dhoni kept up his habit of walking out and enthralling an already smitten crowd with his six-hitting. But even before he stepped out to deafening noise, Jadeja and Moeen Ali set the stage for the flourish. In the 17th over, Jadeja hit Mohsin for a six to bring up his fifty before Moeen hit a hat-trick of sixes off Bishnoi in the 17th to push CSK closer to 150. Moeen exited with a 20-ball cameo worth 30 runs to his name, and Dhoni went the other way to put on an even better show. His 9-ball 28 had trademark shots well over midwicket – one six even going 101m long. Dhoni even improvised with a shuffle-across and scoop shot over the keeper’s head. His efforts pushed CSK to 176/6, but that proved to be rather insufficient in the end.
With the white-ball not swinging enough in all venues, Deepak Chahar has been rendered largely ineffective this season. Though he came back for Shardul Thakur for this game, he couldn’t make the required inroads early on to put the home side under pressure in chase. Instead, Rahul and de Kock scored freely to dwarf the asking rate by the end of the six overs, in which they got 54 runs. CSK’s ordinary returns with the ball in the PowerPlay (7 wickets at an economy rate of 9.47) continued. Even Tushar Deshpande who has been frugal this season, couldn’t eke out a dismissal.
Nothing changed besides the field, from the seventh over on. Even CSK’s golden goose – Matheesha Pathirana – didn’t bring his wicket-taking knack to the middle overs as the LSG openers welcomed him with a 12-run over. The pair comfortably took LSG to 89/0 at the halfway stage, and then went after Jadeja to speed up the proceedings. Rahul cut one off Jadeja past point to go past 50, while de Kock upped his scoring rate too. Mustafizur Rahman attempted to break through with his wily change of pace, but he too hit a wall. Rahul and de Kock took the opening stand past 100 – the highest for any wicket at the venue. De Kock too got a fifty before feathering an attempted pull off Mustafizur to Dhoni behind the stumps.
That wicket, and of Rahul to follow, were mere consolations as LSG wrapped up the chase with an over to spare. Rahul looked set to mark the victory with a century to his name, only for Ravindra Jadeja to take a one-handed blinder at backward point to catch the LSG captain 18 short. But before this could happen, Nicholas Pooran had walked out swinging for the fences and put LSG well on course to pocketing the two points.
On the last ball of the penultimate over, from Deshpande, the West Indian backed away and hit one over point to put the finishing touch to a thoroughly competitive victory.
Brief Scores:
Chennai Super Kings 176/6 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 36, Ravindra Jadeja 57*, Moeen Ali 30, MS Dhoni 28*; Moshin Khan 1-37, Yash Thakur 1-45, Krunal Pandya 2-16, Ravi Bishnoi 1-44, Marcus Stonis 1-07) lost to Lucknow Super Giants 180/2 in 19 overs (KL Rahul 82, Quinton de Kock 54, Nicholas Pooran 23*; Mustafizur Rahman 1-43, Matheesha Pathirana 1-29) by 8 wickets
(Cricbuzz)
A Sri Lankan innings that never really got going eventually parked itself at middling total of 219, as they were bowled out in 49.3 overs in the second ODI in Colombo. It’s a total England will fancy themselves to chase down as they look to level this three-match series.
Sri Lanka’s innings was headlined by Charith Asalanka’s 45 off 64 and Dhananjaya de Silva’s 40 off 59, but at strike rates of 67.79 and 70.31 it tells you all you need to know about how well England kept a lid on the innings.
For the visitors the wickets were spread out, with Adil Rashid, Jamie Overton and Joe Root picking up two apiece, the latter with the final two balls of the innings. There were also wickets for Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed and the returning Will Jacks.
And much like in the first ODI, England’s varied attack – no less than eight options were used across the innings – sought to give little away. “Keeping the stumps in play,” was Harry Brook’s refrain, speaking after losing the toss, and on an uber-dry surface with boundaries square and behind mostly protected, the onus was on the Lankan batters to use their feet in order to access the boundaries at extra cover and deep midwicket.
That sort of strokeplay however proved detrimental to the Lankan cause with four of their top five falling in their attempts to access the boundaries in front of square. Kamil Mishara sought to bring some impetus to the innings after a miserly early burst from the England seamers, but his attempted lashing cover drive could not clear Ben Duckett in the circle, who held on at the second attempt.
Pathum Nissanka, who had patiently waded through the opening powerplay when the scoring rate sat below four an over, then sought to capitalise on his added time in the middle, but only managed to loft an inside-out drive to long-off.
Later on in the innings Dhananjaya whacked one low to Root at midwicket, before the set Asalanka found deep midwicket with a slog sweep.
And arguably Sri Lanka’s best batter at accessing those regions, Kusal Mendis, ran himself out for a ground-out 26, when he cut one straight to point and absentmindedly set off for the single. The throw from the fit-again Jacks was pinpoint and found Mendis easily short as he sought in vain to fling himself back to safety.
There were promising stands between, notably a 42-run effort between Nissanka and Mendis and 66 between Dhananjaya and Asalanka, but none of the batters involved were able to push on and up the rate of scoring over any concerted period of time.
Pavan Rathnayake’s 29 off 34 had also shown promise, but he fell foul looking to clear the straight boundary as he sliced one to long-off, and in the process silenced an energetic Khettarama crowd.
The frustrating nature of Sri Lanka’s innings was illustrated by the fact that five batters scored at least 25 and faced at least 30 deliveries, but the highest score remained Asalanka’s 45.
England, to their credit, stuck to and executed their plans well. The use of eight bowlers – six of them spinners – meant Sri Lanka’s batters were ever really able to get a measure of any one bowler. And while the lengths were consistent, the pace of the deliveries was varied. It meant that even when a set batter such as Nissanka sought to take on the attack, Rashid was able to successfully deceive him in the flight.
Dunith Wellalage once more looked enterprising during a late cameo, but despite finding two boundaries in his brief stay, his 20 off 19 was far less damaging to England’s cause than had been in the first ODI.
England bowled 40.3 overs of spin across their innings, breaking their previous record of 36. That came in Sharjah in 1984-85, when Norman Gifford captained England at the age of 44, and took four wickets. The team wore black armbands during the first ODI after his death last week.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 219 in 49.3 overs (Charith Asalanka 45, Dhananjaya De Silva 40; Joe Root 2-12, Jamie Overton 2-21, Adil Rashid 2-34) vs England
(Cricinfo)
(Cricbuzz)
At least seven people have died and more than 80 others are missing after a landslide hit Indonesia’s West Java province, officials said.
The landslide occurred in the West Bandung region, south-east of the capital Jakarta, following days of intense rainfall.
More than thirty homes were destroyed after “landslide material buried residential areas, causing fatalities and affecting local residents”, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.
Flooding, landslide and extreme weather alerts have also been issued for the broader region.
The landslide hit the village of Pasirlangu around 02:30AM on Saturday [24] (19:30 GMT).
Two dozen people were evacuated safely from the affected region, according to Abdul Muhari, communication chief of the National Search Agency.
Images shared by local news outlets showed homes buried under mud and debris.
[BBC]
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