Monday, October 12, 2009

Kallis guides Bangalore to Super Eight


Jacques Kallis smashed a breezy unbeaten 73 and took three wickets to steer Royal Challengers Bangalore to Super Eight stage.

The Indian side trounced Otago Volts by 80 runs in Bangalore. The hosts joined Cape Cobras from group C in the quarter-final league after convincingly winning their do-or-die match at M Chinnaswamy stadium.

Bangalore top order put a superb show after opting to bat as all the four batsmen who came to bat made contribution in rattling up a massive 188 for two.

The hosts then skittled out the Kiwi side for a scrimpy 108 with 2.1 overs to spare.

Jacques Kallis, who batted through the innings, put on a quick- fire 75 for the first wicket with Robin Uthappa (42) to give Bangalore a brilliant start.
Top performer: Jacques Kallis

Ross Taylor (32) played an incredible cameo as he scored 24 runs in the last over of the Bangalore innings by creaming three sixes and a boundary and Virat Kohli (32) also showed his potential after Uthappa's dismissal.

After a supershow with bat, Kallis (3/18) returned to bowl a magical spell and polished off the Kiwi top-order.

Kallis struck twice in his second over -- dismissing Brendon McCullum and Aaron Redmond in gap of three balls -- to give a perfect start to the defence of their handsome total.

Skipper Anil Kumble (2/20) and R Vinay Kumar (2/20) took two wickets apiece as Bangalore put on a clinical performance.

Hashim Rutherford hit R Vinay Kumar for three boundaries to break the shackles but soon became Kallis' third victim when he lofted a slow ball in the hands of Kumble at mid-off.

Bangalore spinners also got into the act, as in a gap of 12 balls they got rid of three more batsmen, sealing the fate of the New Zealand side.

Kumble trapped Nathan McCullum (8) and Ian Butler (1) in successive overs and Roelof van der Merwe catching Dmitri Mascarenhas in front of wicket.

Craig Cumming was the highest run-getter for Otago Volts with his 20-run knock.

Earlier, Kallis played a measured innings, a cocktail of aggression and composure as his 73 came off 59 balls and contained four boundaries and two sixes.

Uthappa was also in great touch as controlled his innings well. He took 31 balls for his 42, which had five fours and two shots over the fence.

Kallis and Uthappa began on a cautious note and opened up after getting their eyes in but still managed a run-rate near six run per over.

The South African got his first boundary -- a furious square cut off Dmitri Mascarenhas -- in the fourth over and Uthappa opened the gates with a huge six in the same over.

Uthappa was in sublime touch. A lofted drive off Warren McSkimming for straight boundary and another one off Ian Butler were all class. Kallis smashed another cut boundary to raise fifty run partnership.

Nothing working for them, skipper Craig Cumming brought Nathan McCullum into the attack but to his horror Uthappa welcomed him with a six and followed it up with reverse sweep boundary.

Cumming made another change as he introduced Aaron Redmond. The leggie did not disappoint his captain seeing the back of dangerous looking Uthappa.

Uthappa got a leading edge and Cumming latched on to the the chance at short cover, but by then the Indian had done his job.

Virat Kohli joined Kallis and played extremely well during his short 19-ball stay at the crease. The Delhi boy contributed 32 runs with the help of five fours before going back to the hut.

The wicket put a break on free flowing runs though Kallis continued his good batting, hitting Butler and N Wagner out of the park in successive overs.

Taylor finished the innings in style hitting Butler for a four and a six and McSkimming, who completed his teammate's over, for two sixes in the final over.

The teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: JH Kallis, RV Uthappa, R Dravid, V Kohli, LRPL Taylor, MV Boucher†, B Akhil, RE van der Merwe, R Vinay Kumar, P Kumar, A Kumble*

Otago Volts: BB McCullum, AJ Redmond, HD Rutherford, CD Cumming*, NT Broom, NL McCullum, AD Mascarenhas, IG Butler, DC de Boorder†, WC McSkimming, N Wagner

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