Kieron Pollard started his run-up to bowl the first ball of the fifteenth over in the second innings. But, in an attempt to bamboozle the batsman, he didn’t let the ball out of his hand. Had his counterparts done something similar over the course of the second innings, they could have saved themselves from humiliation.
The Mumbai Indians batsmen had done their job well. If not everyone, at least a few of them made the MI dugout happy. The men in MI blue couldn’t have been a happier bunch after coming back from a bleak situation early in the first innings to post a fighting total of 184. They would have thought they had done more than enough to open their account this season.
Explosion!
But two men in yellow who walked into Wankhede after the innings break decided not to let the happiness persist. In fact the smiles had disappeared from the MI camp at the end of six overs, which was roughly 20 minutes into the second innings. For, the Brendon McCullum-Dwayne Smith duo made a mockery of the chase by blasting 109 runs in less than eight overs.
The first over, bowled by the 25 year-old Delhi bowler Pawan Suyal, which went for five runs, was hardly an indication of things to follow. Mumbai were counting on their experienced campaigner Lasith Malinga to provide them with early breakthroughs.
But McCullum had other ideas. He sent the second ball of Malinga’s over into the stands. A ball later, he flayed one over the cover fielders to fetch a boundary.
A clear message was sent to Malinga & Co. For the next six overs, singles and doubles were a rarity. The Mumbai crowd were treated to one of the most aggressive opening partnerships in T20 cricket.
The young left arm spinner, Jagadeesha Suchith, was put to test by the brutal batting display at the top. Smith played a few text-book shots to completely demoralise the young bowler. Malinga leaked 21 runs off his next over, in which McCullum and Smith smashed two boundaries each.
The introduction of veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh made no difference as he was made to concede 18 runs. Harbhajan looked clueless after the first three balls of his over were smashed to the boundary rope.
Harbhajan came back in the eighth over to provide his team the much required break. He in fact dismissed both the openers. But the scorecard read 115-2 at the end of the eighth over. The required run rate, which was nine at the start of the innings, was already down to less than six an over.
Who needs a middle-order?
CSK are lucky, extremely lucky, to have two men at the top of their line-up who are playing fearless cricket. They have been sending balls over the rope unmindful of the quality of the bowler.
McCullum is in the form of his life. The New Zealand cricket team and the Chennai Super Kings have reaped the benefits of their opener’s form. McCullum with his ruthless approach took his country to the finalof the World Cup. He may well take his club to the IPL final too.
Dwayne Smith, on the other hand, had a quiet Cup. But in yellow gear he is back to what he does best – demolish the opposition attack. Smith has been a great addition to the CSK squad. He has played quite a few match-winning knocks at the top for the and has nicely settled into the squad, which has rightly retained him.
Both these men have shown the world that they need very little time to destroy the opposition. T20 is expected to be a close game filled with twists and turns. But when these two men come to the party, it’s one-way traffic.
The Mumbai Indians batsmen had done their job well. If not everyone, at least a few of them made the MI dugout happy. The men in MI blue couldn’t have been a happier bunch after coming back from a bleak situation early in the first innings to post a fighting total of 184. They would have thought they had done more than enough to open their account this season.
Explosion!
But two men in yellow who walked into Wankhede after the innings break decided not to let the happiness persist. In fact the smiles had disappeared from the MI camp at the end of six overs, which was roughly 20 minutes into the second innings. For, the Brendon McCullum-Dwayne Smith duo made a mockery of the chase by blasting 109 runs in less than eight overs.
The first over, bowled by the 25 year-old Delhi bowler Pawan Suyal, which went for five runs, was hardly an indication of things to follow. Mumbai were counting on their experienced campaigner Lasith Malinga to provide them with early breakthroughs.
But McCullum had other ideas. He sent the second ball of Malinga’s over into the stands. A ball later, he flayed one over the cover fielders to fetch a boundary.
A clear message was sent to Malinga & Co. For the next six overs, singles and doubles were a rarity. The Mumbai crowd were treated to one of the most aggressive opening partnerships in T20 cricket.
The young left arm spinner, Jagadeesha Suchith, was put to test by the brutal batting display at the top. Smith played a few text-book shots to completely demoralise the young bowler. Malinga leaked 21 runs off his next over, in which McCullum and Smith smashed two boundaries each.
The introduction of veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh made no difference as he was made to concede 18 runs. Harbhajan looked clueless after the first three balls of his over were smashed to the boundary rope.
Harbhajan came back in the eighth over to provide his team the much required break. He in fact dismissed both the openers. But the scorecard read 115-2 at the end of the eighth over. The required run rate, which was nine at the start of the innings, was already down to less than six an over.
Who needs a middle-order?
CSK are lucky, extremely lucky, to have two men at the top of their line-up who are playing fearless cricket. They have been sending balls over the rope unmindful of the quality of the bowler.
McCullum is in the form of his life. The New Zealand cricket team and the Chennai Super Kings have reaped the benefits of their opener’s form. McCullum with his ruthless approach took his country to the finalof the World Cup. He may well take his club to the IPL final too.
Dwayne Smith, on the other hand, had a quiet Cup. But in yellow gear he is back to what he does best – demolish the opposition attack. Smith has been a great addition to the CSK squad. He has played quite a few match-winning knocks at the top for the and has nicely settled into the squad, which has rightly retained him.
Both these men have shown the world that they need very little time to destroy the opposition. T20 is expected to be a close game filled with twists and turns. But when these two men come to the party, it’s one-way traffic.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!