For Somerset and Kolkata Knight Riders, it wasn’t just about victory and defeat, because even in defeat, victory of sorts was at stake in the form of a place in the main draw. As things panned out, Somerset completed an 11-run win in Wednesday’s second high-scoring match at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium, but the Knights had reason to smile too after also entering the main draw.
Watched by Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, the prominent faces in a surprisingly large turn-out, the Knights had done reasonably well to restrict an initially rampant Somerset to 166 for six. At the break, the calculators came out; if Kolkata reached 153, they were assured of qualification, no matter what. If Somerset pushed the contest into the 19th over, they were also through.
The Knight Riders left it too late, needing a flourish from Ryan ten Doeschate to reach 153 off the third delivery of the final over. They eventually finished at 155 for seven, giving Somerset a deserved victory, but the Knights qualified as Qualifier 1 from Pool A and Somerset as Qualifier 3, a mere technicality given that both of them will be in Group B proper alongside Royal Challengers Bangalore, Warriors and South Australian Redbacks.
Alfonso Thomas had little hesitation in opting to bat in the evening, and Peter Trego (70, 61b, 9x4) and Roelof van der Merwe (40, 25b, 4x4, 1x6) completely justified the captain’s call by punishing the erratic Knights bowlers. Too many short deliveries were sent down and promptly punished as Somerset scored at a frenetic clip, former Royal Challenger van der Merwe the more adventurous and Trego the more orthodox.
The two put on 72 in just 53 deliveries to lay the platform for a massive tally, but the Knights pulled things back a touch in the middle overs before imploding again at the death.
KKR began their chase with an eye on 167, but the early losses of Manvinder Bisla, needlessly run out, and skipper Jacques Kallis, outfoxed by Murali Kartik, forced them to re-address the situation. Manoj Tiwary played a neat little hand but the Knights kept losing wickets just when threatened to mount a serious challenge, their cause not helped by a groin injury to Yusuf Pathan that threw his timing completely off gear.
Fortunately for them, ten Doeschate batted quite splendidly. Unafraid to innovate or take the aerial route, he embraced initiative and responsibility when Pathan was struggling to up the scoring, and received adequate support from Shakib Al Hasan and Rajat Bhatia. It was in the fitness of things that he brought up the runs that secured qualification, though victory would have been a lot sweeter.
Score board
SOMERSET: Chris Jones c Bisla b Lee 14 (10b, 2x4), Peter Trego (run out) 70 (61b, 9x4), Roelof van der Merwe c Kallis b Unadkat 40 (25b, 4x4, 1x6), James Hildreth c Shakib b Unadkat 13 (12b, 2x4), Nick Compton (run out) 20 (10b, 2x4, 1x6), Steve Snell c Tiwary b Lee 4 (2b, 1x4), Arul Suppiah (not out) 0 (1b). Extras (LB-2, W-2, NB-1) 5. Total (for 7 wkts, 20 overs) 166.
Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Jones), 2-99 (van der Merwe), 3-125 (Hildreth), 4-158 (Compton), 5-164 (Snell), 6-166 (Trego).
Bowling: Iqbal Abdulla 3-0-29-0, Brett Lee 4-0-34-2 (w-1, nb-1), Shakib Al Hasan 3-0-20-0, Yusuf Pathan 3-0-31-0, Rajat Bhatia 1-0-9-0, Jaidev Unadkat 3-0-31-2 (w-1), Jacques Kallis 2-0-10-0.
Runs during Power Play: 1-6 overs: 47/1.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: Manvinder Bisla (run out) 8 (6b, 1x6), Jacques Kallis c Hildreth b Kallis 1 (4b), Shreevats Goswami c Compton b Waller 14 (18b), Manoj Tiwary b Waller 27 (23b, 5x4), Yusuf Pathan c Gregory b Suppiah 12 (13b, 1x4), Ryan ten Doeschate b van der Merwe 46 (31b, 1x4, 3x6), Shakib Al Hasan c van der Merwe b Trego 13 (9b, 1x4, 1x6), Rajat Bhatia c Thomas b van der Merwe 19 (14b, 1x4), Brett Lee (not out) 2 (2b), Iqbal Abdulla (not out) 1 (1b). Extras (B-4, W-7, NB-1) 12. Total (for 8 wkts, 20 overs) 155.
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Bisla), 2-10 (Kallis), 3-48 (Goswami), 4-57 (Tiwary), 5-97 (Pathan), 6-120 (Shakib), 7-150 (Bhatia), 8-153 (ten Doeschate).
Bowling: Alfonso Thomas 4-0-32-0, Murali Kartik 4-0-20-1, Roelof van der Merwe 4-0-23-2, Max Waller 2-0-23-2 (w-5), Lewis Gregory 1-0-9-0 (nb-1), Peter Trego 3-0-25-1 (w-1), Arul Suppiah 2-0-19-1 (w-1).
Runs during Power Play: 1-6 overs: 32/2.
