Right that’s all from me. A surprising win for the Royals, in the end, and surprisingly comfortably too. It was only when Faulkner got going that they even looked like having a shot at a slightly defendable total but, in the end, 26 runs is a bit of a hammering. Kings XI disappointed, both with the ball in taking their foot off the pedal and with a listless run chase.
Do join me again for tomorrow’s matches. Until then, thanks for reading. Bye!
Royals win by 26 runs
20th over: Kings XI 136-8 (Anureet 0, Karavnveer 5) Target 163 Karanveer carves a boundary over point, but other than that just the one single comes from Morris’s last over. No fireworks and it ends up a comfortable win for the Rajasthan Royals.
19th over: Kings XI 131-8 (Anureet 0, Karavnveer 0) Target 163 Faulkner returns and gets a taste of his own medicine as Bailey hammers him over square leg for six. Johnson then slogs a slower ball straight down the throat of Southee at long-off, but on replay it looks as though Faulkner has overstepped and that’s a no-ball. Oh no he’s got away with it. I couldn’t see it, but evidently the TV umpires believe there was something behind the line. Bailey then goes to one of the best catches you’ll ever see in this tournament.
WHAT A CATCH! Bailey c Nair b Faulkner 24
This is a screamer. Bailey launches it over mid-on, Southee leaps into the air and reels it back in mid-leap. He’s saved the six, but then Karun Nair dives low to his right and clutches the ball one-handed before it hits the grass.
Wicket! Johnson c Southee b Faulkner 0
A slow ball outside off and it’s slogged straight down the throat of long-off.
18th over: Kings XI 122-6 (Johnson 0, Bailey 16) Target 163 The TV misses the first ball of Southee’s over in order to show an interview with a pretty lady. “Give us a smile and show us your dimples,” says the interviewing man. On telly, in 2015. The first ball goes for a leg-bye, then Southee sends down a couple of wides. I do have plans tonight, Tim. Then the TV picture gives out and it seems there’s been a wicket... yes there has! From what I can tell, it was an in-swinging yorker that took out off stump. Ah here we are, the pictures are back and it’s exactly that, a very nice ball. Johnson comes out and is a whisker away from being bowled both first and second ball as Southee beats his big wild swings.
Wicket! Patel b Southee 24
Not a clue as the TV pictures died on me.
17th over: Kings XI 118-5 (Patel 24, Bailey 15) Target 163 Chris Morris comes back on and this match is in danger of petering out now as he rather unsportingly refuses to serve anything up for these two batsmen to go after. A bunch more singles and the Royals will not give a solitary one about those. Great over from Morris concedes just five. 45 needed from 18.
16th over: Kings XI 113-5 (Patel 22, Bailey 12) Target 163 A change of ends for Faulkner, by the looks of things. The batsmen continue to nudge it around but they’re in a no-win situation now (apart from the fact they could still win): they’re down to the last of the proper batting, but the required run-rate has moved north of 12 and is homing in on 14. Five from the first five balls, then a blessed boundary as Bailey becomes the latest batsman in this match to get an inside edge past leg stump and down to the rope.
15th over: Kings XI 104-5 (Patel 20, Bailey 5) Target 163 Tambe into his third over and Patel swings hard to long-on for one. Smith is putting a lot of faith in his leggie to keep the run-rate down and build the pressure on these two. He does a good job, three singles from the over.
14th over: Kings XI 101-5 (Patel 18, Bailey 4) Target 163 OK, 10-an-over needed from here on in. Still perfectly doable. Kulkarni is back on and it immediately becomes a whole lot less doable as Miller goes. Bailey comes in at number seven because he’s a wimp and immediately Axar Patel chops four through backward point. Four more follow, to Bailey this time, as he puts a short-arm jab over mid-on for four more.
Updated
Wicket! Miller c Faulkner b Kulkarni 23
Miller looks to flick a bumper into the on-side, but it gets big on him quicker than he expects and the ball balloons to third man off the top edge.
13th over: Kings XI 92-4 (Patel 13, Miller 23) Target 163 Back comes Tim Southee too. If he can get rid of one or two batsmen now you’d make Rajasthan strong favourites. Not so much if he keeps bowling long hops like this to Miller, who pulls square and finds the gap. Four. A dot, then he’s a fraction short with the slow yorker and Miller lifts him over mid-wicket. Six. Low past the outside edge for another dot, then cut to third man for one more to make it 11 from the over.
12th over: Kings XI 81-4 (Patel 13, Miller 12) Target 163 We have another change as Tambe comes back on. The required run-rate is north of nine, but that’s still fairly manageable with Miller at the crease and especially with Bailey to come. Patel takes a single, before Miller looks to smash the bowler out the ground. He doesn’t quite get hold of it and just runs down the ground for one more. An exchange of singles, then Patel just manages to dig out a yorker. Just four from the over.
11th over: Kings XI 77-4 (Patel 11, Miller 10) Target 163 It’s Binny again and Miller gets off l’oeuf with a nicely timed push wide of mid-on for four. Binny responds by dropping short and Miller gets a top edge looking to pull, over the keeper for a much streakier boundary. Good response though from the bowler, who seams one past Miller’s outside edge on the drive, then hits him on the pad with one that pitched outside leg.
10th over: Kings XI 66-4 (Patel 10, Miller 0) When you’ve lost early wickets and are feeling under pressure, is there anything you want to face less than the demon duo of Binny and Chris Morris? Well that’s the kind of hell Kings XI are in now. The batsmen are struggling to get it away here and once again the IPL is at the forefront of innovation: brining the boring middle overs to T20. Just one from an excellent over, the final ball of which is a perfect yorker that leaves Miller fallen on his backside.
9th over: Kings XI 65-4 (Patel 9, Miller 0) Stuart Binny into what can loosely be called an attack. That’s in the way that an army of lambs or Andrew Lincolns could be called an attack. He starts with a wide, before Vijay swivel-pulls a single to fine leg. Another single, then the set batsman is run out and Miller comes in. He has a big woolly drive first ball, misses it completely and there’s a massive appeal. God knows why as it doesn’t even look like it was close to the edge. Binny then sends a wide down the leg-side
Wicket! Vijay run-out 37
Once again the batsmen look to scamper a leg-bye, once again Samson manages a direct hit from behind the stumps. Stuart Binny gets a run-out.
8th over: Kings XI 61-3 (Patel 8, Vijay 36) Pravin Tambe, at 43 Virender Sehwag’s grandfather the oldest player in the IPL, is on to bowl a bit of leg-spin. After a one and a two he drops short and gets cut through cover for four by Patel. After that he very nearly yorks the left-hander, who just digs it out while falling over the ball. Time-out time.
7th over: Kings XI 53-3 (Patel 1, Vijay 35) Faulkner continues. “He’s definitely a prospect for Australia going forward,” says the commentator of the World Cup winning all-rounder off 44 ODIs and 86 T20 internationals. She might be on to something, too, as his first five balls yield just the single. The final ball of the over is a bouncer, pulled around the corner, but Kulkarni makes up for his earlier fielding mistake with a sliding stop at fine leg that saves three runs.
6th over: Kings XI 51-3 (Patel 0, Vijay 34) Target 163 Huh, Axar Patel is in ahead of Bailey and Miller then. Kulkarni continues and sends down a couple of dots, followed by a wide. Another dot, then Vijay comes down the track and, to quote the commentator, “finds the gap to perfection”. That’s with a big swing towards long-on and a faint inside edge down to long-leg for four.
5th over: Kings XI 46-3 (Patel 0, Vijay 30) Target 163 Another new bowler, this time James Faulkner. Bowling to Maxwell. And some people think the IPL is just a load of brawn and muscle. A leg-bye, then Vijay flicks a full delivery nicely around the corner for four more. “DEFT!” says the scoreboard. Christ. One more to Vijay, then Maxwell chips straight, where it plugs for a couple, before he mistimes another drive off the back foot just short of short extra-cover. He’s not timing it at all and that weakness brings about his downfall.
Wicket! Maxwell c Southee b Faulkner 7
Maxwell goes and the Royals will be confident now. He dances down the track, looks to hit a frustrated smear through cover and Southee dives brilliantly to his left to take the catch.
4th over: Kings XI 39-2 (Maxwell 5, Vijay 25) Target 163 After just one over from Morris, Dhawal Kulkarni is on to bowl to Maxwell. The Australian gets his first boundary with an inside edge past leg-stump and down to long-leg. A wristy flick, out over mid-wicket, brings one more before Vijay is hurried a touch in fending off a bumper.
3rd over: Kings XI 32-2 (Maxwell 0, Vijay 23) Target 163 A good dive from James Faulkner, who just gets his fingertips to an off-drive to arrest its momentum and prevent the four. A rubbish dive from Kulkarni at mid-on though, allowing it under his arm and away for four when Vijay clips a yorker off his pads. Samson then goes up for a catch when Southee gets one to nip back and beat the inside edge, but it’s well away from the bat. Another boundary as Saha plays a very nice late chop down to third man, before the run-out.
Wicket! Saha comedy run-out 7
This is actually very good fielding by the keeper Samson to get rid of his opposite number. He dives to his left to stop the leg-bye, then throws down the stumps while still wearing his gloves with Saha caught halfway down the track.
2nd over: Kings XI 21-1 (Saha 3, Vijay 16) Target 163 He of the brass eye, Chris Morris, shares the new ball. It looks like the bowlers are targeting Vijay’s pads, but not with too much success as he sends down a big leg-side wide. Vijay then steps down and looks to go big, but can only just screw it over extra cover where it plugs in the outfield, the shot yielding two streaky runs. He has far more success two balls later, standing, delivering and clearing long-on for six with a lovely lofted drive.
1st over: Kings XI 11-1 (Saha 3, Vijay 7) Target 163 Tim Southee is the poor man with the task of opening the bowling to this rather imposing batting lineup. He makes a decent fist of the start too, removing Sehwag with the very first ball of the innings bringing Saha to the crease. The Kings XI batsman gets the first runs with a push to long-off for three. A wide down leg follows, before Vijay eases a lovely classical cover drive to the fence. He’s a beautiful, orthodox batsman, the Indian opener. Three more to mid-on and that’s a fun start to the reply.
Wicket! Sehwag c Samson b Southee 0
First ball! A nice ball, full-ish, swinging away and Sehwag just pushes at it with no footwork. It takes the outside edge and Samson, the keeper, takes a good catch diving to his right.
End of innings
162 is a competitive score on this seamer-friendly wicket. Arguably neither side will be happy with that though; the Royals lost wickets to the seamers early on and found Johnson nearly unplayable until his final over to Faulkner. Kings XI, on the other hand, will feel that they let things slip after having their opponents under the cosh.
20th over: Royals 162-7 (Morris 6, Southee 0) The final over will be bowled by Anureet Singh. Faulkner has been excellent here and given the Royals a real... yeah he’s out. This is a really good over by the young seamer, two singles, followed by the wicket, followed by a bouncer and slower ball, neither of which give a run. Two from the final ball.
Updated
Wicket! Faulkner c Miller b Anureet 46
“Another good ball!” says the commentator as Faulkner slogs a full-toss straight down the throat of the man on the long-on boundary.
19th over: Royals 158-6 (Morris 3, Faulkner 45) Mitchell Johnson is on for his final over with figures of 2-14 from his first three. Morris takes a single, before Maxwell makes a nice stop on the fine-leg boundary, ducking down, fielding it and returning the ball all in one sweet smooth motion, to keep it to two. He can’t do anything about the next ball hit in his direction though, which clears his fingertips by inches and goes over the rope for six. Faulkner is in the groove now, smearing a fuller one down to long-off for four more. Another six as he slogs a full, leg-side delivery over square, then one to finish. 20 from the over to rather ruin Johnson’s figures.
Updated
18th over: Royals 138-6 (Morris 2, Faulkner 26) Chris Morris is the new batsman. He’s a magnificent striker of the ball and that is a scientific fact. There’s no real “evidence” for it, but it is scientific fact. Anyway, Axar Patel is on for his final over and the first three balls, rather neatly, yield three singles. A leg-bye and a dot follow, but the bowler ruins everything with as bad a half-tracker as you’ll see, dragged down miles short and leg-side. Faulkner mullers it into the mid-wicket stands.
Updated
17th over: Royals 128-6 (Morris 1, Faulkner 18) Back comes Anureet Singh who took an excellent 1-6 from his first couple of overs. He begins with a rank full-toss (is there any other kind?) from round the wicket to the right-hander, but Faulkner misses out and just bunts it to mid-on for one. Hooda then takes a swing and the ball just drifts over the expectant man on the extra cover boundary to give the batsman his highest score in T20s. A nice follow-up too, pushing a full delivery square through point for four more. He’s a decent prospect, by the looks of things... and as soon as I write that he goes.
Updated
Wicket! Hooda b Anureet 30
Angled in towards leg-stump and the batsman has been bowled behind his legs by the yorker. He was looking to squeeze that into the leg-side.
16th over: Royals 115-5 (Hooda 20, Faulkner 16) Another change and Axar Patel comes in. Three of the last four overs are likely to be bowled by the seamers, so you would expect Faulkner to target the spinner. It’s not happening for them here as just four singles, plus a wide, come from the over.
15th over: Royals 110-5 (Hooda 18, Faulkner 14) “Don’t go too early,” is Shane Warne’s advice during the glorified ad break. Johnson returns after one over off and begins with a wide outside off-stump. Faulkner looks to chop a short ball hard past point, but Miller makes a great diving stop to save four runs. You can’t take your eyes off Johnson, he gives the impression that something will happen every ball and, these days, it’s likely to be something in his favour. No sooner have I written that than Faulkner pulls hard off the front foot, through mid-wicket for four. Another wide follows, the second of the over and the ninth of his match. Two dots to finish.
14th over: Royals 104-5 (Hooda 18, Faulkner 10) On the telly, Rahul Dravid reckons that 140 will be a competitive score. That feels a fair way off now and it’s almost even further out of reach; Hooda goes for the slog sweep and gets a top edge, which drops just out of reach of Glenn Maxwell running backwards at mid-off. That was a tough catch. Hooda follows it up with a slog that just clears the man on the rope at long-on for six. Saha, behind the stumps, is very excited about what he thinks is a catch behind, but he’s alone in that. Hooda brings up the team hundred with an attractive drive over extra cover for six more.
“I notice you’re no longer ‘casual’ (emailistically speaking),” notes James Lane. “Has this change of mood been accompanied by any other changes your readers should be aware of?”
Emailistically speaking is the only way it’s changed, I’m afraid. It just works without now, so I can look more important.
13th over: Royals 88-5 (Hooda 2, Faulkner 10) It’s time for Johnson to have a rest, with Axar coming on. Surprising change this, from Bailey; it feels a bit like easing the foot off the throat. A pair of dots, then a wide, before another good bit of fielding by Sehwag on the rope at mid-wicket saves two. Just five from the over.
Superb from Mitch. Anyone who can rush Smith the way he's been playing deserves a medal. Faulkner the key from here. #IPL8 #KXIPvRR
— Nakul Pande (@NakulMPande) April 10, 2015
12th over: Royals 83-5 (Hooda 1, Faulkner 7) Karanveer continues and Faulkner smears him away for two to long-off. I wonder if it might be worth going with another seamer here to try and really demolish the Rajasthan innings with another wicket or two. Two more to third man then a single apiece down the ground, with Hooda scoring his first IPL run. He has a highest T20 score of 24, so I guess they’ll be relying on Faulkner from here on in.
11th over: Royals 76-5 (Hooda 0, Faulkner 1) Johnson again. Can someone get bat on him this time? Not from the first ball, to Smith, which is a wide swung down the leg-side from over the wicket. Then Smith can get bat on it, but it’s only an edge that brings about his downfall. The big battle, Mitch v Smith, is over and the former comes out on top. Johnson is looking rather menacing here and he nips Binny, who was stuck on the crease, out too. Deepak Hooda, on IPL debut, and James Faulkner are the new men. The latter gets the first run off the bat against Johnson with a single to fine leg.
Wicket! Binny c Saha b Johnson 13
This is magnificent. Binny is tucked up by a ball that nips back in and feathers a catch off the back foot through to the keeper.
Wicket! Smith c Karanveer b Johnson 33
Smith goes! A short-ish ball across the batsman takes the edge as Smith goes for a big slog and it goes high to the third man boundary, where Karanveer holds on with ease.
10th over: Royals 73-3 (Smith 33, Binny 13) Right, that’s done. Karanveer continues and Binny smears his first ball out to extra cover and nutmegs Axar Patel on the boundary for four terrible runs. A single to bring Smith on strike and he chips over mid-wicket for four more. Three more singles to finish the over and the Rajasthan innings is looking a fair bit steadier now.
It’s time for one of those stupid strategic time-outs.
Mitchell Johnson just bowled an over where neither batsman could get bat on ball even once...and he conceded seven runs! #IPL
— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) April 10, 2015
9th over: Royals 61-3 (Smith 27, Binny 7) Here’s Mitch! He starts with one hell of a delivery, which pitches just back of a good length, swings back in with good pace and carry and cuts Stuart Binny in two. Not so good next up though as a wild bouncer flies past the keeper for five wides. He follows it up, inevitably, with a yorker that brings an LBW shout, but the umpire says it’s going down leg and they pinch a couple of leg-byes. Binny then plays and misses twice before picking up another leg-bye and Smith survives the final ball. Eight from the over, all extras.
“Royals looking very callow here, especially when they’ve got the world’s in-form batsman down the other end,” writes James Lane. “When did Steve Smith become so imperious? In the space of a year he’s gone from a figure of some ridicule to a potential great.
“Great Richie line, as the ball is struck firmly and races away: ‘That’s four ...” [ball stops before boundary] ...if they run fast enough’. Nobody did dry like the great man.”
8th over: Royals 53-3 (Smith 27, Binny 7) Another new bowler and it’s Karanveer Singh, the leggy, coming on. Who’d have thought Mitchell Johnson would only be third change at best? Smith pushes down the ground for one, then Binny cuts square for the same. The new Australia captain then brings up the fifty by waiting and cutting hard, behind square for four as Karanveer drops too short. A couple more singles to finish the over.
7th over: Royals 45-3 (Smith 21, Binny 5) The new batsman is Stuart Binny, who must be good at IPL cricket because I’ve not seen any evidence of it at international level. That was really stupid from Karun Nair, throwing his wicket away after 15 had already come from the over. Sandeep Sharma is bowling through and Binny gets his first run with a nudge to fine leg. Smith then pushes the ball out into the gap at the same region and old man Sehwag makes a fantastic diving stop to keep them to two. A short, wild delivery brings the first wide of the match, then Binny pushes the extra delivery through point for four. It may rub it in a bit, but Sandeep finishes with 1-19 from his four fine overs.
6th over: Royals 35-3 (Smith 17, Binny 0) A change of bowler and a change of style too, as the spinner Axar Patel comes into the attack early. Smith steps down the track to his first ball and thumps it just wide of mid-on for four. He repeats the trick next ball, all along the ground this time and a bit straighter for another boundary. A single brings Nair on strike, and he slog-sweeps into the stands at mid-on for six. He looks to do the same thing to the following ball, but is outthought and you have to say that’s ruined what had been a good over for Rajasthan.
Wicket! Nair b Patel 8
Full, flat and fast and it beats Karun Nair’s slog-sweep before crashing into middle stump.
5th over: Royals 20-2 (Smith 8, Nair 2) An inside edge is close-ish to doing for Smith, glancing away to fine leg for one. This is really good bowling from Sandeep Sharma and I’m not surprised George Bailey is keeping him on for a third over. Smith gets a single, a thick outside edge wide of slip and down to third man, that’s the most eye-catching event of another tight over.
4th over: Royals 17-2 (Smith 6, Nair 1) A couple of plays and misses to begin with for Nair. Incidentally you’ll have to refresh the page if you want to get rid of the bit in the first over that suggests Nair was opening. He gets off the mark from his fifth ball, cut down to wide third man for just a single, before Smith pulls for another. The final ball brings a big, wild swing from Nair that connects with naff all but air.
3rd over: Royals 15-2 (Smith 5, Nair 0) Sandeep continues and continues to find movement; there’s a little bit of grass on the pitch so it is a good one for seamers. Samson flicks a back-of-a-length ball into the on-side for a sharp single, before Smith eases a lovely cover drive through the gap for four. Another single, before Samson departs and Karun Nair, a sometime opener, comes to the crease with his side in trouble. He too is struck on the pad, but it’s drifting down leg and they get a leg-bye.
More on Richie, this time a loving tribute from Jack Bannister.
Wicket! Samson lbw b Sandeep 5
After a long pause, it’s given. Samson plays all around one that was angled back in. It hits him in line and the umpire eventually decides that height is not an issue. Rajasthan in trouble here.
2nd over: Royals 8-1 (Smith 0, Samson 4) Anureet Singh, the right-arm medium-pacer with an eye-watering economy rate of 9.40 in the IPL, is on from the other end and he too finds a wee bit of movement back in to Sanju Samson. The right-hander nurdles the second ball across into the on-side for one. Rahane, bogged down, goes looking for the big hit, so Steve Smith comes to the crease. As if Indian bowlers haven’t seen enough of him. Samson plays a cross-batted slog out to the vacant mid-on region for three. Just four from the over and that’s an excellent start for the home side.
Wicket! Rahane c Patel b Singh 0
After eight deliveries barely getting bat on ball, Rahane takes a big swing and gets a top-edge. Up the ball goes, but not very far, and down it drops into the hands of Axar Patel on the edge of the circle at mid-off.
1st over: Royals 4-0 (Rahane 0, Samson 0) Shane Warne is backing the Royals to win the whole thing. That’s former Royals captain Shane Warne. Anywho, here we go, with Sandeep Sharma bowling to Rahane. His first ball swings miles down the leg side, just brushing the pads on its way down to long-leg for four byes. He follows this up with a much better outswinger, which beats the right-hander. Indeed, the rest of the over is right on the money and offers nowt to the batsman.
Updated
The teams are observing a minute’s silence for Richie Benaud.
The teams in full
Kings XI Punjab: V Sehwag, M Vijay, GJ Maxwell, DA Miller, GJ Bailey*, WP Saha†, MG Johnson, AR Patel, Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Karanveer Singh
Rajasthan Royals: AM Rahane, KK Nair, SV Samson†, DJ Hooda, SPD Smith*, STR Binny, JP Faulkner, TG Southee, DS Kulkarni, PV Tambe, CH Morris
It’s a bruised hip that’s keeping Watto out.
The toss and team news
Kings XI have won it and put the Royals into bat. Shane Watson has an OUCH of some sort, which means Steve Smith is the Rajasthan captain today.
I promise, we didn’t fix this.
Subtle tribute with the comments number by @guardian_sport? #RIPRichie pic.twitter.com/CcKZmzdlhO
— JJ Worrall (@johnjoeworrall) April 10, 2015
My apologies. There is no Brad Hodge this season. My sources lied to me. That’s you, Cricinfo.
Ever wondered what goes through an IPL player’s mind before they head out into such a high-pressure* cauldron* for the most important match of their lives*?
Looking forward to arriving in England and meeting the boys after the IPL! https://t.co/ULeqEgAoS9
— James Faulkner (@JamesFaulkner44) April 10, 2015
On a different, bittersweet note, there are reports emerging from India that an unnamed Royals player last month reported an approach to fix matches for money to the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit. On the one hand, it’s good to see that players are comfortable to report this kind of thing and it is, hopefully, a sign that players are now better educated about this kind of thing. On the downside, the only reason we can’t call it disappointing that this is still happening is because it’s not surprising.
Preamble
Afternoon folks. Remember the World Cup? The World Cup was good, wasn’t it? Not the best tournament ever, not the best World Cup ever and it finished with a plethora of non-events, but it started very strongly and had a fair few crackers. If cricket was REM, the the World Cup would have been its Monster.
This right here match three of the IPL feels a bit like a World Cup greatest hits. Some of the brightest stars of the latest edition are on show here: Kings XI Punjab’s Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller and, er, Thisara Perera collide with Steve Smith, James Faulkner, Shane Watson, Tim Southee and Ajinkya Rahane. Such is the arbitrary nature of T20 though, that we can’t be sure yet if this is going to turn out to be more In Time or Dead Letter Office (the latter is the better).
So considerable firepower on both sides, especially when you add the veterans Brad Hodge, 104, and Virender Sehwag, 97, into the mix. The pitch in Pune is likely to be uncharacteristically bouncy, I’m told, which will play into the hands of the Aussie musclemen even further. Metaphorically that is, not that they’re all going to be serving up catches.
Let’s face it though, today isn’t really about the IPL. I’m sure the rest of the OBO team here at Guardian Towers will join me in saying a fond farewell to Richie Benaud, who passed away yesterday. At 84 years old and in ill-health, his death isn’t a tragedy, but all of us here are of an age that means we grew up with Richie and his love for the game, combined with his brilliance conveying that love, imbued every cricket fan and commentator alike with a similar enthusiasm. A man whose understanding of the value of silence and who knew his duty was to the game itself, he was the polar opposite of the sold-its-soul-to-sponsors laddish banter of the IPL and of much of today’s lesser commentary.
We knew he wouldn’t be around forever and we knew we’d miss him when he was gone, but that doesn’t make it any less sad. Feel free to share your favourite memories today, as my colleague in Australia Russell Jackson does beautifully here. Bye, Richie.
Updated
Dan will be here shortly.
Meanwhile, read how Delhi Daredevils fell one run short of Chennai Super Kings on Thursday.
A thrilling finish in Chennai saw the home side prevail – but only just. With Delhi needing a six from the final delivery, the Super Kings’ seamer Dwayne Bravo gave an exhausted Albie Morkel the width he required to flay over mid-off only for the ball to bounce just inside the rope, giving Chennai a one-run win.
On winning the toss, JP Duminy, the Delhi captain, elected to field – despite a belter of a pitch and an opposition boasting the IPL’s most intimidating batting line-up. It proved to be an excellent decision. Though Chennai – and Dwayne Smith in particular – started brilliantly, a regular loss of wickets as they tried to post a monster total left them grateful to finish on 150 for seven.
