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Do-or-die contest for Daredevils

Vijay Lokapally

NEW DELHI: To blame just the curator for the mess Delhi Daredevils finds itself in would not be a fair reflection of the result on Friday.

The home team faces a perform-or-perish situation as it prepares to take on Wayamba Elevens from Sri Lanka.

The challenge is indeed huge. A defeat on Sunday would eliminate Delhi Daredevils from the Champions League Twenty20.

New South Wales Blues would look to cement its place for the next round when it meets Sussex Sharks in the other match. NSW Blues won its opener against Diamond Eagles convincingly while Sharks, which has leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and Pakistan seamer Yasir Arafat in its ranks, plays its first match.

Luke Wright and Dwayne Smith would also be the Sussex players to watch.

Low bounce

The Ferozeshah Kotla offered a newly-laid surface for the match and Victoria Bushrangers lost little time in adapting to the low bounce.

Delhi paid the price for its haughty approach even though its two best batsmen, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, were not guilty of complacency or poor shot selection. One fell to a grand catch and the other to a low delivery.

“Not the best pitch for this brand of cricket,” said Gambhir, who was understandably livid.

Three other captains agreed with him. In a situation that required the batsmen to adapt to the tricky pitch, Delhi Daredevils came a cropper.

Not new for Wayamba

And now it runs into a team that is hardly under any pressure. The Wayamba Elevens players have grown on similar pitches back home.

Under-prepared tracks or surfaces with uneven bounce are not new to Sri Lankan cricketers. And that is one reason why Wayamba skipper Jehan Mubarak looked relaxed and confident ahead of the match.

With a pool that includes ten internationals to pick from, Mubarak faces a problem plenty. Players like Mahela Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis and Mubarak need no introduction. The rest — F. Mahroof, M. Vandort, M. Udawatte, I. Amerasinghe, K. Lokuarachchi, R. Herath and C. Welegedara — would look to grab the opportunity.

Daredevils on the other hand rely a lot on Sehwag and Gambhir and hope Tillakaratne Dilshan to fire when it matters.

Manhas ruled out

With Mithun Manhas ruled out due to a muscle tear, the onus would be on Owais Shah, who loved the practice pitch at the Kotla on Saturday.

A pity the surface for the competition is in sharp contrast.

The presence of Glenn McGrath at the optional practice was an indication that the great Australian could play on Sunday. Delhi Daredevils needs a class act from the wily fast bowler.

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