Date:07/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/07/stories/2008110755031900.htm

Sport - Cricket

Delhi Giants wins a thriller

Y.B. Sarangi

PANCHKULA: In a cliff-hanger, Delhi Giants pipped Chandigarh Lions through a ‘bowl out’ in the Indian Cricket League at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex here on Wednesday.

Chasing an imposing target of 201, the Giants rode on Monish Mishra and Avishka Gunawardene’s 126-run opening stand to give a befitting reply to the Lions and dented the home side’s chances of making the cut for the semifinals.

Fine knock

With the help of 10 fours and three sixes, Mishra hit a 44-ball 81 to give a flying start. He got able support from Gunawardene, who notched up a 51-ball 64 that included seven fours and two sixes.

The Giants lost some quick wickets in the last quarter of its innings but stand-in skipper Paul Nixon managed a boundary in the last ball to level the scores.

Ali Murtaza and Dhruv Mahajan hit the stumps for the Giants while none from the Lions’s side could find the target.

Earlier, a blistering start by Tejinder Pal Singh and Sarabjit Singh laid a strong foundation for the home team as the two scored 98 runs for the first wicket.

Tejinder, who made 65, struck 11 fours and a six in his 31-ball knock. Sarabjit was more patient in his innings as his 60 came from 53 balls with four 4s and three 6s.

On a perfect belter, the Lions’s milked the Giants’s bowling with its English import Graeme Hick slamming a 18-ball 36, which had in it four hits to the fence apart from two huge sixes.

Giants has eight points from as many matches while Lions has six from seven outings.

The scores:

Chandigarh Lions 200 for seven in 20 overs (T.P. Singh 65, Sarabjit Singh 60) lost to Delhi Giants 200 for four in 20 overs (M. Mishra 81, A. Gunawardene 64).