Michael Hussey hit a half-century and Albie Morkel bagged three wickets to help Chennai post a 25-run victory over Pune Warriors in their Indian Premier League match.
Australian Hussey made a 48-ball 61 and South African paceman Morkel took three for 29 as Chennai bowled and fielded impressively to restrict Pune to 117 for nine after scoring 142 for six for their third win in six matches of the Twenty20 tournament.
Pune could never recover after being reduced to 40 for four in the opening six overs, with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Morkel taking two wickets apiece. Australian paceman Doug Bollinger finished with two for 20.
Yuvraj’s effort proves futile
Pune captain Yuvraj Singh top-scored with 34 but to no use as the team suffered its third defeat in five matches. His 43-ball knock ended when Shadab Jakati held a superb diving catch in the covers off Morkel in the last over. Mithun Manhas was the other main scorer for Pune with 20.
Put in to bat, Chennai made a solid start when Murali Vijay (31) and Hussey put on 64 for the opening wicket before Pune struck back with two quick wickets. South African Alfonso Thomas had Vijay caught by New Zealand’s Nathan McCullum at mid-wicket and then bowled Suresh Raina for two runs.
Hussey steadied the innings with a 52-run stand for the third wicket with captain MS Dhoni (26) before Jerome Taylor took three of the last four wickets.
Taylor struck in his third over when he removed Hussey, who fell to a well-judged catch by Manish Pandey, before dismissing Morkel in the same over.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 27th, 2011.
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