Date:15/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/15/stories/2008051556632300.htm

Sport - Cricket

Akhtar sizzles

S. Sabanayakan

KOLKATA: Shoaib Akhtar produced a magical three-over opening spell to demolish the Delhi Daredevils top-order, as Kolkata Knight Riders scripted a 23-run win in the DLF-IPL encounter here on Tuesday.

Akhtar began in spectacular fashion, sending back Delhi Daredevil skipper Virender Sehwag with the second ball of the opening over.

He removed Gautam Gambhir in his next over and dismissed A.B. de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary off successive balls in his third over to be on a hat-trick. Tillekeratne Dilshan, however, denied Akhtar a hat-trick. Daredevils fought back through some dogged batting by Dilshan and Amit Mishra but two run outs sealed the visitors’ fate. Laxmi Ratan Shukla polished off the tail with a haul of three of six in five balls.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: 133 for six in 20 overs

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir c Hussey b Akhtar 10, V. Sehwag c Saha b Akhtar 0, A.B. de Villiers c Taibu b Akhtar 7, M. Tiwary lbw b Akhtar 9, S. Dhawan b Dinda 7, T. Dilshan (run out) 25, A. Mishra c Ishant b Shukla 31, F. Maharoof (run out) 10, V. Yomahesh b Shukla 3, P. Sangwan c Hussey b Shukla 0, G. McGrath (not out) 0; Extras (lb-1, w-7): 8; Total (in 17.5 overs): 110.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-17, 3-28, 4-28, 5-43, 6-67, 7-101, 8-105, 9-105.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Akhtar 3-0-11-4, Ishant 3-0-18-0, Dinda 4-0-29-1, Ganguly 4-0-23-0, Abdullah 3-0-22-0, Shukla 0.5-0-6-3.