New South Wales (NSW) got the better of Mumbai Indians in a low-scoring Champions League encounter, beating the Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit by five wickets thanks to a fine knock by Australia discard Steven Smith.
Chasing a paltry 101 for victory, NSW got off to a horrendous start, being reduced to 28 for five, giving Mumbai hope of an unlikely victory after their batting flopped miserably. However, Smith contributed a crucial 45 and shared an unbroken 73 for the sixth wicket with Ben Rohrer, who scored a valuable unbeaten 26, to guide his team past the finish line. Abu Nechim Ahmed bowled a fine opening spell for Mumbai, taking out NSW’s top three in quick succession but his efforts went unrewarded.
Earlier, Mumbai’s decision to bat first backfired badly as the IPL team were bowled out for just 100. NSW’s opening bowlers Stuart Clarke (two for 15) and Mitchell Starc (one for 28) provided the early breakthroughs reducing Mumbai to 27 for three, before James Franklin’s 42 gave the total relative respectability. Phil Cummins (one for 13) and Steve O’ Keefe (two for 18) then ensured that Mumbai were restricted to a below-par total.
Kolkata win crucial tie
Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders kept alive their hopes of progressing further in the tournament when they beat Warriors by 22 runs thanks to the Duckworth-Lewis method being employed in a rain-curtailed encounter.
Chasing a competitive 156, Kolkata were off to a rollicking start courtesy captain Gautam Gambhir (33) and South Africa all-rounderJacques Kallis (31). With only nine overs having been bowled in the innings, the match was abandoned due to rain with Kolkata being declared the winners after being ahead of the par score by 22 runs.
Earlier, Colin Ingram’s 61 was the highlight of the Warriors’ innings as the middle-order batsman did well to share two valuable partnerships with opener Jon-Jon Smuts (46) and wicket-keeper Mark Boucher (38). Lakshmipathy Balaji picked up two wickets to restrict Warriors to a manageable total.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2011.
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