Consolation win for Delhi

Cricket: Champions League: Nannes takes three as Cobras falter in low-scoring contest

Defending the smallish 114, the Daredevils bowlers – pacemen, spinners and part-timers alike – proved too hot to handle for Cobras’ batsmen on the slow wicket as the visitors crashed to a 30-run defeat after being bowled out for 84 in 18.3 overs.
If Dirk Nannes (3/19) harried the Cobras with his searing pace, Amit Mishra (2/19) put behind his Sunday’s mauling at the hands of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli with a superb exhibition of leg-spin bowling, aided in no small measure by the pitch. Tillakartane Dilshan, opening the bowling, somewhat atoned for his poor batting show by grabbing two wickets.  
 
Already in the semifinal, the Daredevils’ run may not have made any difference to Cobras’ prospects in the tournament but the loss meant that the South Africans will now have to travel to Hyderabad to meet the dangerous Trinidad and Tobago in Thursday’s second semifinal.  In the first semifinal, Victoria Bushrangers take on New South Wales Blues here on Wednesday   

Minus the explosive Virender Sehwag, the Daredevils fired only in patches. Dilshan’s horrible Champions League campaign ended on another dismal batting show when the Sri Lankan was cleaned up a Rory Klienveldt’s low delivery. An equally disappointing Gambhir dragged Klienveldt on to his stumps a ball later, leaving Manoj Tiwary and Dinesh Kaarthick to stem the rot.

With two of their premier batsmen back in the hut inside of two overs, Tiwary and Kaarthick understandably were cautious as the first boundary of the innings came only after 4.1 overs.  

Kaarthick, the best batsman for Delhi after Sehwag, exploded in the last over of power play caning Klienveldt for three consecutive fours to provide the much-needed momentum to the innings.  The young duo had added 40 when Tiwary saw his stumps rattled after he missed the line of a Claude Henderson’s arm-ball.

A mix-up between Kaarthick and Owais Shah, who almost ended up at the same end, resulted in the dismissal of the former. Yogesh Nagar, who had come in place of Sehwag, hung on gamely while Shah, adjudged the man of the match, finally did something worthwhile with a nice cameo (39, 38b, 2x4, 1x6) that made a telling difference in the outcome.

SCORE BOARD

DELHI DAREDEVILS: Tillakaratne Dilshan b Klienveldt 1 (5b), Gautam Gambhir b Klienveldt 0 (4b), Manoj Tiary b Henderson 19 (21b, 1x4), Dinesh Kaarthick (run out) 23 (24b, 3x4), Owais Shah (not out) 39 (38b, 2x4, 1x6), Yogesh Nagar c Henderson b Ontong 10 (18b), Rajat Bhatia b Ontong 0 (1b), Amit Mishra (not out) 8 (9b). Extras (B-1, LB-3, W-10) 14. Total (for 6 wkts, 20 overs) 114.

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Dilshan), 2-4 (Gambhir), 3-44 (Tiwary), 4-46 (Kaarthick), 5-80 (Nagar), 6-87 (Bhatia). 

Bowling: Monde Zondeki 4-0-13-0, Rory Klienveldt 4-0-31-2, Francois Plaatjies 4-0-13-0 (w-2), Claude Henderson 4-0-19-1 (w-6), Jean-Paul Duminy 1-0-9-0 (w-1), Justin Ontong 1-0-8-2, Vernon Philander 2-0-17-0 (w-1).   

Runs during Power Play: 1-6 overs: 31/2.

CAPE COBRAS: Andrew Puttick b Nannes 6 (7b, 1x4), Herschelle Gibbs lbw Dilshan 0 (1b), Henry Davids (run out) 22 (29b, 1x4, 1x6), Jean-Paul Duminy b Mishra 14 (20b, 2x4), Rory Klienveldt c Shah b Mishra 8 (9b, 1x6), Justin Ontong b Dilshan 9 (13b, 1x4), Vernon Philander c Dilshan b Nagar 12 (16b), Ryan Canning b Nannes 3 (6b), Claude Henderson b Nannes 0 (1b), Monde Zondeki c Dilshan b Nagar 0 (1b), Francois Plaatjies (not out) 0 (8b).Extras (LB-6, W-4) 10. Total (all out, 18.3 overs) 84.

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Gibbs), 2-17 (Puttick), 3-44 (Davids), 4-57 (Klienveltd), 5-57 (Duminy), 6-72 (Ontong), 7-78 (Cannings), 8-78 (Henderson), 9-79 (Zondeki).

Bowling: Tillakaratne Dilshan 4-0-16-2 (w-1), Dirk Nannes 4-0-19-3 (w-2), Rajath Bhatia 2-0-11-0, Amit Mishra 4-019-2 (w-1), Pradeep Sangwan 2-0-4-0, Yogesh Nagar 2.3-0-9-2.
Run during Power Play: 1-6 overs: 33/2.