Sport - Cricket

Rockets zooms to victory

Ahmedabad: Ryan Campbell’s blitz lit up the skies and helped Ahmedabad Rockets overcome Mumbai Champs’ 130 as well as a 45-minute light failure in the Indian Cricket League match at the Sardar Patel Stadium here on Friday night.

The opener’s unbeaten 92 (51b, 12x4, 4x6) helped Ahmedabad Rockets notch up its first victory, defeating Mumbai Champs by nine wickets.

Chasing Mumbai Champs’ 130, the home team faced just one delivery when the light towers began their descent into darkness. And when the snag was corrected and play resumed, the organisers stated that the full quota of overs would be played.

The chase was on as Campbell and Pervez Aziz whetted their appetite in a Johannes van der Wath over that went for 22 runs. Aziz perished to Mumbai Champs skipper Nathan Astle but Campbell muscled his way, slamming Michael Kasprowicz for six.

The runs came in a flurry though Campbell’s fifty came through a sedate single off Astle. Campbell had his skipper Damien Martyn (17 n.o.) for company as the winning runs were scored in 16.4 overs.

Earlier, Mumbai Champs opted to bat and found a hurdle in Bhima Rao, who had a hand in the first five dismissals right from the moment he held on to Robin Morris’ miscued pull off Jason Gillespie.

Bhima soon was exulting again after pouching Mumbai Champs skipper Nathan Astle.

At 15 for two in five overs, Mumbai Champs’ search for momentum proved futile as Bhima speared the stumps when Raviraj Patil dashed for a single. Meanwhile opener Taufeeq Umar (31) pocketed the runs with nudges square and behind the wicket.

However even Umar could not stymie Bhima’s moment under the lights as he spooned R.S. Sodhi. Bhima scampered from cover and plucked the catch inches off the turf. The Sodhi-Bhima combine undid Kiran Powar’s hoick too and at 60 for five in 12.4 overs, the visitor struggled before finding a late surge through van der Wath (41 n.o., 15b, 3x4, 4x6) and Hasan Raza (26 n.o.).

Van der Wath clobbered Heath Streak’s last two deliveries into the skies to help Mumbai Champs finish with 130 for six in 20 overs.

The scores: Mumbai Champs 130 for six in 20 overs (van der Wath 41 n.o., Taufeeq Umar 31, Hasan Raza 26 n.o., Sodhi two for 25) lost to Ahmedabad Rockets 131 for one in 16.4 overs (Campbell 92 n.o.).

Saturday’s match: Chennai Superstars vs Chandigarh Lions.

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