The Hindu : Sport : Yusuf Pathan is the hero for Rajasthan Royals

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Yusuf Pathan is the hero for Rajasthan Royals

— Photo: AFP

MAN OF THE MOMENT: Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne has a word with Kamran Khan, whose brilliant last over sent the match into an exciting Super Over finish.

CAPE TOWN: Rajasthan Royals needed a Super Over to beat Kolkata Knight Riders at Cape Town here on Thursday after both teams played out a tie.

Taking strike first, Kolkata’s Chris Gayle smacked 15 runs (three fours) off Kamran Khan’s Super Over. In reply, Royals’ Yusuf Pathan greeted Ajantha Mendis with a six, and followed it up with another couple of hits to the fence. Royals’ needed four balls to get the 16 runs required to win.

Earlier, eighteen-year-old Kamran bowled a sensational last over to prevent Kolkata from getting seven runs of the last over to overhaul the target of 151.

Knight Riders was left in the lurch by the last-ball run out of Ishant Sharma after Kamran had got rid of Sourav Ganguly (46 runs, 30 balls) with his fifth ball.

Knight Riders made a sluggish start chasing 151; openers Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum played out three overs for ten runs before Gayle launched into Mascarenhas’ second over with two huge straight hits for maximum. Mascarenhas got his own back three balls later when McCullum’s ambitiously lofted shot was caught by Kamran Khan who held on to the ball through an energetic tumble.

Meanwhile, Gayle continued to hound Mascarenhas, striking two savage blows for four and six over mid-off in the sixth over and compelling Royals’ skipper Shane Warne to bring himself on in the seventh.

Warne strikes

With Knight Riders coasting at 60 for one in the ninth over, Warne struck a telling blow by tempting Gayle in the air and deceiving him into a mishit that swirled into the hands of Ravindra Jadeja at long on. Gayle’s 40 contained four sixes.

Warne rang in the bowling changes as Laxmi Ratan Shukla departed seven runs later.

Pathan sizzles

Earlier, Yusuf Pathan hit 42 runs to revive a Rajasthan Royals innings which ended on 150 for six.

Pathan faced 21 balls, stroking six boundaries and two sixes. Ishant Sharma, Anureet Singh and Ajantha Mendis took two wickets apiece.

Rajasthan had collapsed to 14 for two inside the first three overs.Jadeja (22) and Mascarenhas (27) tried to repair the damage in the middle order.

But when Sharma accounted for Jadeja, caught by Yashpal in the covers and Anureet bowled Mascarenhas, Rajasthan was left in need of a lower order partnership to get a defendable total.

Abhishek Raut (21 not out) hit briskly at No. 7 to push the total to 150. Shane Warne was unbeaten on two.

scoreboard

Rajasthan Royals: G. Smith c Gayle b Mendis 15, P. Valthaty c Sharma b Anureet 5, R. Quiney c Gayle b Ishant 6, Y. Pathan c Yashpal b Mendis 42, R. Jadeja c Yashpal b Ishant 22, D. Mascarenhas b Anureet 27, A. Raut (not out) 21, S. Warne (not out) 2, Extras (lb-3, w-7) 10, Total (for six wkts.in 20 overs) 150.

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-14, 3-70, 4-73, 5-112, 6-125.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Ishant 4-0-36-2, Anureet 4-0-35-2, Agarkar 1-0-14-0, Mendis 4-0-19-2, Ganguly 3-0-23-0, Gayle 4-0-20-0. Kolkata Knight Riders: C. Gayle c Jadeja b Warne 41, B. McCullum c Kamran b Mascarenhas 3, L. Shukla c Rawat b Kamran 13, B. Hodge c Rawat b Munaf 5, S. Ganguly c Rawat b Kamran 46, S. Bangar c Smith b Kamran 2, Yashpal Singh c Raut b Warne 20, Agarkar (not out) 1, Ishant (run out) 1, Extras (lb-8, w-9, nb-1) 18, Total (for eight wkts in 20 overs) 150.

Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-60, 3-67, 4-71, 5-94, 6-143, 7-149, 8-150.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Pathan 4-0-27-0, Mascarenhas 4-1-29-1, Warne 4-0-25-2, Kamran 4-0-18-3, Munaf 3-0-36-1, Jadeja 1-0-7-0.

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