Glenn McGrath showed his old mastery with the ball while Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik struck explosive half-centuries to breathe life into Delhi Daredevils’ Champions League campaign with a 50-run win over Wayamba Eleven in a Group B match here on Sunday.
Sehwag (66) and Karthik (61) shared a 67-run stand to set a 171-run target for the Sri Lankan team. Daredevils bowlers then restricted Waymaba to 120 for seven in 20 overs.
Mahela Jayawerdene (53) was the only batsman to put up a fight. Others simply succumbed to the Daredevils fast bowling attack.
After having lost the first match to Victoria Bushrangers, Daredevils rose to the occasion with a clinical fare at their home ground, Ferozeshah Kotla. With a net run rate of 0.07, they are almost through to the next league stage.
Delhi gave nothing away, with both the bat and the ball.
Dirk Nannes (4-24) bowled a fine spell with the new ball, generating speed and finding the right length on the low and slow track
Amit Mishra (1-18) played his part tying the batsmen in knots with an economical four—over spell.
But it was McGrath (2-20) who stole the show with a vintage display.
The Australian great was making an international appearance after nearly 17 months, having faced the embarrassment of being kept out of the entire Indian Premier League season in South Africa. And expectedly all eyes were on him when he was handed the ball at the first change in the fifth over.
There was no rust in his bowling.
The first ball landed right on a straight line to the stumps, a typical McGrath length, and Mahela Jayawerdene tapped it with respect. Only four runs came in that over, but there were signs of things to come.
The 39-year-old veteran roared back to life in the next over with two wickets.
A peach of a delivery that cut back a shade but enough to crash through the defence of left-handed skipper Jehan Mubarak.
Kaushal Lokuarachichi dared the old master with a straight four two balls later only to find his stumps rattled in the same over.
The twin blows snuffed the life out of Wayamba Eleven and they were quickly reduced to 36 for five.
Nannes came back to take the wickets of Farveez Mahroof and Jayawardene to put off the match beyond Wayamba’s reach.
Earlier, Left-arm pacer Chanaka Welegedera (2-24) started with a maiden over to Tillakratane Dilshan to start the Delhi innings.
But Sehwag looked in a menacing touch right from the first ball when he straight drove Isuru Udana for a four. Fours flew thick and fast from Sehwag’s blade, 10 to be precise. A six over long on and a dug out four that went screaming through the point had his class stamped.
Karthik batted around Sehwag as the two launched an offensive with Ajantha Mendis (2-35) receiving some punishing blows. Karthik struck five fours and three sixes in 41 balls.
