Bangalore sneak home in thriller

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FE Team | Published: May 15, 2009 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

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Royal Bangalore Challengers beat Chennai Super Kings with two balls and two wickets to spare to keep their semi-final hopes alive in a match that ricocheted rather swung between the sides.
Needing 130 to chase, after Chennai's lower order failed to capitalise on Matthew Hayden's 38-ball 60, it seemed it would be a walkover for Bangalore. But by the end of the Powerplays, struggling at 33 for 3, the semi-final looked an unlikely possibility. Ross Taylor then played a mature innings, unlike the attacking one against Kolkata Knight Riders, taking on the anchor role while Virat Kohli hunted for boundaries. The match had swung in Bangalore's favour at the end of the 19th over - mostly because of a six from Praveen Kumar - with them needing just five off the last.
Taylor nearly undid his efforts by stepping out and wildly swinging at a shorter delivery from Jacob Oram only to get the top edge which was caught by Dhoni running back almost to the boundary. Praveen was joined by Vinay Kumar at the crease, with a run-a-ball target. Praveen took a single off the first; Vinay Kumar flicked the next to wide of midwicket and the batsmen scrambled two runs. There was more drama to follow as Vinay Kumar requested for a runner. He cut the next ball to backward point and L Balaji misfielded after diving at the boundary. Bangalore were unsure if they had got four and the batsmen, after taking a single, pushed off for one more, before a sheepish Balaji signalled a boundary.
Though it was a thrilling game to watch, Bangalore will know they made a complete meal of the chase after their bowlers had put in a fantastic show to bowl Chennai out for an under-par total. Chennai's opening bowlers gave them a good start but even then Bangalore should have never let it go to the final over.
Albie Morkel struck in the second ball of the innings, trapping Jacques Kallis leg before for a duck though replays suggested Kallis was hit just outside the off stump. Rahul Dravid looked in good nick, driving Morkel behind square for a four and then cutting Sudeep Tyagi to third-man boundary. But when he tried to repeat the shot in the next ball, he misjudged the bounce and popped a catch to S Badrinath to backward point. Tyagi's next over went for 11 runs but Morkel, who had conceded three runs in his second, struck in his third: Robin Uthappa was trapped by one that came in and hit him on middle and leg. Morkel, like Kallis, bowled his quota on the trot, finishing with 2 for 13. He varied his length and the new batsmen - Virat Kohli and Ross Taylor - cautious after the early collapse, chose not to take any risks.
Kohli and Taylor collected the runs through singles. Kohli did cut and sweep the spinners for fours but couldn't beat the fielders when driving down the ground. —Cricinfo