Date:19/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/19/stories/2008031960401900.htm

Sport - Cricket

Patil, Yadav script first win for Champs

Special Correspondent

CHANDIGARH: Quite fittingly, Raviraj Patil put the finishing touches to Mumbai Champs’s chase with a boundary for a six-wicket victory over Ahmedabad Rockets in the Indian Cricket League’s Edelweiss 20s Challenge at theTau Devi Lal Stadium here on Tuesday.

Earlier, electing to bat, Rockets slumped from 61 for no loss to 131 for nine in 20 overs after Varanasi medium-pacer Avinash Yadav took four wickets for 14 runs. Thereafter, Champs stayed on course for its first victory in three games with Patil staying around to finish the job with just two deliveries to spare.

Rockets’s best chance was when Champs needed 10 runs to win in the last over bowled by Heath Streak. Shreyas Khanolkar, who till then had scored five runs off seven balls, struck the first two deliveries for fours and then ran a bye to level the scores. Patil’s lofted boundary to the long-off fence brought victory for Champs.

Avinash scalps four

Patil’s unbeaten 65 off 46 deliveries was dotted with three sixes and six fours. However, the Man-of-the-Match award went to Avinash Yadav for getting rid of dangermen Wavell Hinds, skipper Damien Martyn (8), Reetinder Singh Sodhi (8) before adding the scalp of Rakesh Patel (1).

At one stage, Rockets was looking good to set a formidable target but all the good work by the openers Hinds and Sachin Dholpure was soon undone.

Hinds’s first five scoring shots being boundaries. Dholpure got into the act soon, hittng a six and three fours and overtook Hinds before falling leg-before to Michael Kasparowicz.

Two more dismissals kept Rockets in check. Ranjit Khirid sent back new-man Murray Goodwin (6) and Hinds played across the line to lose his off-stump to Avinash.

That brought together Martyn and Sriram. Sriram, who hit three fours in his 19 during the 27-run stand for the sixth wicket, was unfortunately run-out with the score at 97. Two more wickets fell at the same score with Martyn departing in the same over and new-man Streak (0) getting stumped off Nathan Astle.

In the 18th over, Yadav packed off Sodhi and Patel. Jason Gillespie (15 not out, one 4) played the lone hand in the lower order.

The scores: Ahmedabad Rockets 131 for nine in 20 overs (Wavell Hinds 30, Sachin Dholepure 29, Avinash Yadav four for 14) lost to Mumbai Champs 135 for four in 19.4 overs (Raviraj Patil 65 n.o., Gillespie two for 27).