Yusuf Pathan's phenomenal all-round act helped Rajasthan Royals win the Indian Premier League 2008 in a thrilling last-ball finish against Chennai Super Kings. In what must be one of the finest all-round performances in recent times, Pathan turned the match on its head twice --- first with the ball, then with the bat. Chennai were off to an assuring start. Parthiv Patel and S. Vidyut added 39 for the first wicket when Pathan struck. In fact, he went on to take the first three wickets, bowling his stump-to-stump spin. Then, with Rajasthan under the burner at 42-3 Pathan struck a characteristically brutal 56 (39 balls, 3 fours, 4 sixes) to bring his team at the doorsteps of a famous win. When Yusuf was run out by a blinding direct hit from point by Suresh Raina, the Royals needed 21 from 14 balls. Chennai were not spectacular with the bat, but they worked hard to get 163-5 runs on the board. The going wasn't easy --- Chennai managed just nine fours, to go with seven sixes --- and relied heavily on good running to reach their score. After an enterprising start by their openers Patel (38) and Vidyut (16), Chennai lost their way a bit against the off-spin of Yusuf Pathan who took 3-22, his best figures in the IPL. Raina provided the pulp to the innings with his 43 from 30 balls and left the stage to his skipper to provide the finishing touches. Dhoni made 29 (17 balls).Chennai must rue their finish. They made just 46 runs in the last five overs when they had six wickets in the dugout. But Shane Watson and Sohail Tanvir were not easy to get away. The two mixed their full tosses, bouncers, slow balls and yorkers to keep Chennai's batsmen guessing. Pathan walked away with the man of the match in the final game while Watson is the man of the series. Tanvir, for his 22 wickets, won the purple cap. The orange cap for the highest scorer went to Shaun Marsh of Kings XI Punjab. Warne's side received a cheque of USD 1.2 million, while the runners-up Chennai got half that amount.
No comments:
Post a Comment