Royal Challengers Bangalore, chasing 104, romped home by nine wickets against Guyana in a Champions League Twenty20 match at SuperSport Park on Sunday.
For the winning side, Jacques Kallis followed his impressive spell of three for 16 with a fine unbeaten 43. Man of the Match, he was.
After the Royal Challengers bowlers set up the win, the opening pair of Kallis and Rahul Dravid took the side to the brink of victory with high-quality batting.
Easy going
Kallis flicked paceman Esuan Crandon for an effortless six. Dravid cut off-spinner Lennox Cush — he operated with the new ball — and pleasingly drove him off the back-foot. Runs came in a cascade as the two senior batsmen found the open spaces with firm pushes and drives.
By the time off-spinner Royston Crandon castled Dravid for 33, the opening pair had put on 78 in 10.5 overs. Kallis and the big-hitting Robin Uthappa soon closed out an emphatic win.
Guyana, inserted, was rocked early. The side lost wickets at regular intervals to a probing Royal Challengers attack. Throughout the innings, momentum eluded the batting team.
Under stress
The Bangalore side's attack deserves credit for seldom allowing the pressure to ease; the Guyana batting was under stress from both the ends.
Dale Steyn and Praveen Kumar swung the new ball; they also bowled in the right areas. Kallis was zestful; his cutters were on target and he troubled the batsmen with extra bounce. The wily Kumble gave little away, his subtle variations of speed, spin and line tormenting the batting side.
Travis Dowling, an experienced top-order batsman, gloved a pull off Praveen into short fine-leg's hands. Ramnaresh Sarwan struck an astonishing back-footed six off Kallis over long-off. However, the paceman breached Sarwan's defence with a precise off-cutter.
Brief but bright
Sewnarine Chattergoon, reprieved early by Dravid at square-leg off Praveen, essayed a few bright strokes pulling and driving for his runs. His promising tenure was cut short by a direct hit to the striker's end from Cameron White at covers.
And Narsingh Deonarine's attempt to slog-sweep Kumble led to his dismissal. Guyana was in trouble at 59 for four in the 12th over. Despite a fighting 35-ball 30 from Christopher Barnwell — he was the last man dismissed — the batting side never really recovered.
The scores
Guyana: T. Dowlin c Steyn b Praveen 10 (17b, 1x4) , S. Chattergoon (run out) 18 (17b, 2x4) , R. Sarwan b Kallis 7 (3b, 1x6) , N. Deonarine c Taylor b Kumble 13 (19b, 1x4) , C. Barnwell c Uthappa b Steyn 30 (35b, 2x4) , R. Crandon c Steyn b N. Doshi 5 (10b) , J. Foo c Uthappa b Kallis 1 (6b) , D. Christian c Praveen b Kallis 0 (2b) , L. Cush c Kumble b Praveen 5 (8b, 1x4) , E Crandon (run out) 0 (3b) , D. Bishoo (not out) 0 (0b), Extras (lb 10 , w 4) 14, Total (in 20 overs) 103.
Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-34, 3-42, 4-59, 5-70, 6-75, 7-75, 8-92, 9-103.
Royal Challengers bowling: Praveen 4-0-22-2, Steyn 4- 0-23-1, Kallis 4-1-16-3, Kumble 4-0-10-1, N. Doshi 2-0-12-1, Akhil 2-0-10-0.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: J. Kallis (not out) 43 (32b, 4x4, 1x6) , R. Dravid b R. Crandon 33 (34b, 3x4) , R. Uthappa (not out) 25 (8b, 2x4, 2x6) , Extras (w-5) 5, Total (for one wkt. in 12.2 overs) 106.
Fall of wicket: 1-78 (Dravid).
Guyana bowling: Cush 3-0-19-0, E. Crandon 2-0-20-0, Barnwell 4-0-36-0, Bishoo 2-0-19-0, R. Crondon 1.2-0-12-1.
