Wednesday, October 14, 2009

IPL champions Chargers crash out


Reigning IPL champions the Deccan Chargers were sent crashing out of the Airtel CL T20 after they suffered a three-run defeat to Trinidad & Tobago.

West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was the hero for Caribbean nation following a match-winning final over when he claimed two wickets and conceded just four runs to ensure his side would take a perfect record into the second round.

Trinidad & Tobago's victory also means Somerset progress from the group, just a day after their English counterparts Sussex were sent home.

Justin Langer's Sabres had beaten the Chargers in their opening match, but lost to T&T which means they would carry no points into the second round.

T&T opener William Perkins smashed 38 off 32 balls at the top of the order to give his side a solid start against a wayward new-ball attack and number seven batsman Kieron Pollard made 31 from 14 balls to help his side post 149 for seven.

Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist then struck a blistering 51 off 36 balls, while Venugopal Rao made 30 lower down the order, but the Chargers lost wickets regularly to bow out.

Frontline bowlers Fidel Edwards - who was taken out of the attack in the previous match against Somerset for bowling beamers - and RP Singh struggled for their line early as the hosts leaked runs.

Edwards found some consistency to trap his West Indies team-mate Lendl Simmons (seven) in front, but Singh could not find his groove.

The left-arm seamer sent down three front-foot no-balls and a wide in his second over in which he conceded 15 and Perkins, who had cashed in on two boundaries off Edwards' first over, helped his side off to a flying start.

Gilchrist brought on Tirumalasetti Suman inside the powerplay and the part-time spinner struck with his fourth delivery when he held onto a return catch from Darren Bravo (14).

Skipper Darren Ganga was run out in the same over by Andrew Symonds, who then sent down an excellent first over as the Chargers regained the initiative by restricting T&T to 53 for three at the end of the powerplay.

But Pollard smacked four sixes and a boundary in a 14-delivery 31 to lift T&T's faltering innings.

The Chargers' reply stuttered at the start as VVS Laxman (four), top scorer against the Somerset, number three Abhinav Kumar (one) and his replacement Symonds (two) were sent back cheaply.

Gilchrist, who had begun his onslaught with a six over third man and a four to the fine-leg boundary, eased the Chargers back into contention with 55-run stand with Rohit Sharma (25) for the fourth wicket, but the game swung T&T's way when both batsmen fell in the space of three deliveries.

The Chargers had needed another 64 runs from 47 deliveries at that stage and Rao and Scott Styris put on 39 for the sixth wicket, leaving the home side needing 20 from the last three overs, but Styris (14) was run out and Rao fell shortly later as the chase faltered.

Teams:

Deccan Chargers: VVS Laxman, AC Gilchrist, TL Suman, A Symonds, RG Sharma, SB Styris, Y Venugopal Rao, Abhinav Kumar, PP Ojha, RP Singh, FH Edwards.

Trinidad & Tobago: LMP Simmons, WKD Perkins, DJ Bravo, D Ganga, DM Bravo, KA Pollard, D Ramdin†, S Ganga, D Mohammed, R Rampaul, S Badree.

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