ICL India lift Twenty20 World Series title
Posted on Apr 15, 2008 at 23:27 | Updated Apr 16, 2008 at 19:05
Comments 
Email 
Print
Tags: cricket, Indian Cricket League, ICL India
Hyderabad: So, it’s not all about batting and muscle power. Often a good fielding effort does the star turn in Twenty20; ask ICL India.
Keeping the bowling simple and effective, fielding like a sprightly lot and seizing the big moments, ICL India defended 148 against ICL World to lift the Indian Cricket League’s T20 World Series title at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad.
Chris Cairns-led ICL World never got the big over when it mattered and eventually fell 10 runs short of the total.
The World XI got off to an encouraging start despite losing Matthew Elliot early. The Indians looked jittery when Damien Martyn and Lou Vincent, involved in a second-wicket 52-run stand, were threatening to take it away.
It wasn’t that Vincent’s dismissal in the 11th over gave the Indians some respite, for the setting was apt for Cairns to pull the bull by the horns.
At the halfway mark, World XI needed 75 runs off 60 balls with Martyn and Cairns braced for the assault. It was at this stage that ICL India slipped in some tight overs and gave it all in the field.
Jamaluddin Syed Mohammed, who earlier snared Vincent, kept a tight leash on the pair giving away merely 10 runs in his four overs.
The pair however collected the odd boundary setting up an interesting finish. All that changed in the space of two overs.
Both Cairns and Martyn (who top scored with 60) were run-out, kudos to some sharp, alert fielding in the circle. Russel Arnold and Marvan Atapattu have the experience but not the brawn to knock off 35 runs that World XI required in 12 balls.
Johan van der Wath struck a few lusty blows towards the end but it was always going to be beyond the World XI’s lower-order.
SLAM, BANG, WALLOP
ICL India couldn’t have hoped for a more propitious beginning. The openers Ibrahim Khaleel (who was nominated the man of the series) and Ganapathi Vignesh (who won the man of the match award) got into overdrive pouncing on anything full of length.
Vignesh, imperious as usual, got going with a fusillade of inside-out shots. He offered a chance early in his innings when he tried to cart van der Wath over covers, but running backwards Martyn spilled the chance.
Vignesh celebrated the reprieve lofting Andrew Hall for a soaring six over extra cover.
Khaleel wasn’t going to miss out on the orgy of violence. The difference was that he hit with grace, patted the ball gently and yet cleared the field effortlessly.
In between he tried to be too cute, attempting Douglas Marillier-like scoops to fine leg. Finally he ran out of luck when he failed to clear Matthew Elliott and held out to long on.
Meanwhile, Vignesh got another let-off when Lou Vincent fluffed a simple stumping chance off Upul Chandana. He swiftly raced to fifty (36 balls, five fours, three sixes) but it coincided with a rash of wickets.
The Indians lost the in-form Tejinder Pal Singh and Abbas Ali in quick succession—both perished attempting meaty strokes. The situation looked to be spinning out of control when Chandana packed Vignesh back to the dug out making it 109/4.
Not that the spate of wickets prompted the rest to buckle down. The last six wickets collected merely 39 runs with only Stuart Binny getting to double figures.
It was as if that the Indians were of one accord that only boundaries would make the total swell to 160 and beyond. But they ensured that they made amends in the second session, and how!
ICL India
Rajagopal Satish (captain), Abbas Ali, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Abu Nacheem, Ali Murtaza, Ambati Rayudu, Ganapathi Vignesh, Ibrahim Khaleel (wicketkeeper), Love Ablish, Ravi Raj Patil, Rohan Gavaskar, Stuart Binny, Syed Mohammed, Thiru Kumaran, T Sudhindra, TP Singh and V Sarvanan
Coach: Steve Rixon
ICL World
Chris Cairns (captain), Andrew Hall, Chris Harris, Damien Martyn, Daryl Tuffey, Ian Harvey, Jimmy Maher, Johan Van Der Wath, Lou Vincent (wicketkeeper), Marvan Atapattu, Mathew Elliot, Michael Kasprowicz, Russel Arnold and Upul Chandana
Coach: John Emburey
| Ads by Google |
Total Comments: 4
Read Comment | Post Comment