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Lame display by Challengers
08/05/2008 22:04 - (SA)
Kolkata - A lame batting display by the Bangalore Royal Challengers saw them lose their Indian Premier League match against the Kolkata Knight Riders by five runs at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
The Kolkata bowlers stuck to a straight line while Bangalore committed the sin of leaving their charge for a target of 130 in 16 rain reduced overs too late.
The Bangalore top-order was numbed into "near-strokelessness" as they posted just 53 for three in the first 10 overs.
Indian star Ishant Sharma bowled wonderfully up front and at the death to take one for 25 in four overs, while the surprise bowling star was Sourav Ganguly, who bowled three overs for seven runs and bowled Rahul Dravid (5) to send the required run-rate through the roof.
Australian Cameron White hammered a daring 30 off 16 balls, but was run out at the non-striker's end in the penultimate over to sum up another day of woe for Bangalore.
Mark Boucher did belt a 40-ball half-century, taking a heavy toll on spinner Murali Kartik in the 15th over, but it was not a particularly fluent innings by the wicketkeeper and he left his best hitting a little late.
Called back
He and White added 45 in five overs though to threaten an upset, before Ishant was called back and conceded just five singles in the 14th over.
But the Bangalore challenge was dying from the time opener Jagadeesh Arunkumar (22) was brilliantly run out by Brad Hodge and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (7) and Dravid scratched around for little reward.
Dale Steyn had served as both strike bowler and ace fielder as the Bangalore Royal Challengers restricted the Kolkata Knight Riders to 129 for seven.
Steyn took three for 27 in a display of magnificent, fiery fast bowling, but his arm also serves as a potent weapon and he patrolled the boundary with almost as much threatening intent as when he had the ball in his hand.
The match was reduced to 16 overs a side due to rain and the South African claimed the first wicket of the Kolkata innings when he trapped Aakash Chopra (2) plumb in front of the stumps.
When not bowling, Steyn had made the fine leg area his own with some sharp groundfielding and terrific flat, fast and accurate throws to wicketkeeper Boucher, and he provided the key wicket of the innings when he ran out David Hussey.
Hussey, who had just hit successive sixes off Anil Kumble, tried to return for a second on a leg-bye but was caught short as Steyn fired in a tremendous throw straight over the stumps to Boucher.
Hussey was the dangerman and had scored 27 off just 12 balls.
Steyn the bowler was then called back into service in the 12th over and had Tatenda Taibu caught behind by Boucher for 15 and bowled Laxmi Shukla for 11.
But Wriddhiman Saha (17*) and Kartik (17) then added 34 runs in four overs to ensure Kolkata posted a total that was still threatening and ultimately too much for Bangalore.
Teams:
Kolkata Knight Riders - Aakash Chopra, Brad Hodge, Sourav Ganguly, David Hussey, Wriddhiman Saha, Tatenda Taibu, Laxmi Shukla, Umar Gul, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Murali Kartik.
Bangalore Royal Challengers - Rahul Dravid, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jagadeesh Arunkumar, Mark Boucher, Cameron White, Vinay Kumar, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, Dale Steyn.
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Rugby
