This is a remarkable effort from Hyderabad. Warner aside, they batted poorly until Reddy’s hitting at the death, and their total appeared undefendable and indefensible. But the force of Warner’s personality and the skill with which he managed his attack allowed his team to stay in the game early in the Punjab innings, and the return of Boult, earlier than usual, was the crucial decision. Another excellent game, and Punjab stay bottom of the table, while Hyderabad move above Delhi into 5th place.
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Wow! Hyderabad win by 20 runs!
Brilliant from Warner, brilliant from Boult.
19.6 Single to Johnson, clipped to long-on.
19.5 Single to Sandeep.
19.4 Single to Johnson.
19.3 WICKET! Anureet c Warner b P Kumar 0 (Punjab 127-9)
Anureet throws the bat, sends the ball flying to long-on, and Warner races round to throw himself into a low catch. What a game he’s had.
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19.2 Around the wicket, into the blockhole, and Johnson squirts a single.
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19.1 Praveen in, and a dot.
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19th over: Punjab 126-8 (Johnson 1, Anureet 0) Punjab need 25 runs from 6 balls.
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WICKET! Dhawan lbw b B Kumar 4 (Punjab 126-8)
Another attempted lap, another miss, and this time gone.
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19th over: Punjab 126-7 (Dhawan 4, Johnson 1) Expecting a yorker from Bhuvi, Johnson tries a delicate little lap behind, misses by plenty, and they run a leg-bye. Then a dot, another yorker, and then one hammered straight to the man at cover by Dhawan. This really is excellent bowling
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WICKET! Saha c P Kumar b Boult 42 (Punjab 123-7)
A particle of boot is behind the line, and what an over from Boult! What a game!
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18th over: Punjab 123-5 (Saha 42, Dhawan 3) Excellent from Dhawan, opening the body to lace to cover, and Warner hares round from long-off to save the boundary and two runs. He is ridiculously quick and lithe, the pick-up and throw perfect. My gosh, Saha is hilarious - a dot and a single, then he dives off-side, tries a scoop, misses, and the ball clips his inside pad and flicks up over the keeper for four. And then, I say, Boult fires in another piece of excellence, Saha swings, it goes up, it comes down, it’s taken at square-leg - but is it a no-ball? It looks as though it is.... Punjab require 28 runs from 12 balls.
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WICKET! Patel b Boult 17 (Punjab 116-6)
Clever David! First ball, Patel makes room, a whole mansion’s worth of the stuff, and when it’s fast, full and straight, he’s nowhere near. Crunch!
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18th over: Punjab 116-5 (Saha 38, Patel 17) So, Warner goes for Boult now, preferring to ramp the pressure than save it for the last.
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17th over: Punjab 116-5 (Saha 38, Patel 17) Praveen returns, and Patel takes two to midwicket from his first ball, then changes his bat. Next delivery is in the blockhole, slanting from around the wicket and towards the pads, dug out for one, but Saha is juiced, slamming over cover for four, and swinging two more to midwicket when he pulls to leg and is followed. Then a single down the ground, and Warner breaks the momentum, before a great ball to end from Praveen - into the blockhole, and a single. Punjab require 35 runs from 18 balls.
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16th over: Punjab 105-5 (Saha 31, Patel 13) Strewth, what a mess! Saha gets under Bhuvi’s first ball and hauls it high over his head. The keeper can’t make it, or decides not to make it, leaving it to Boult, and he allows it through is hands. Ah. Next delivery, two more pulled to midwicket - at last, Punjab are getting after it, but is it too late? Hyderabad have plenty of bowling to come - “including one over from Trent Boult up his arsenal” - so the massive six taken by Saha from the final ball of the over is crucial, though it only keeps Punjab up with the rate. Punjab require 46 runs from 24 balls.
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15th over: Punjab 93-5 (Saha 20, Patel 12) Henriques returns from the other end, and Patel makes room to swing him to cover, earning two. But that’s only enough to keep up with the rate, and next, he fails to find the middle, miscuing to mid-on for one. Saha then earns two more before pulling hard to square-leg - Bopara makes good ground coming in, and once he’s there, should take it falling forwards, but manages to avoid so doing. A further single follows, and then Patel mashes the final ball for six, pulled over midwicket. Gosh, Punjab needed that. Punjab require 58 runs from 30 balls. Let’s talk tactics!
14th over: Punjab 79-5 (Saha 15, Patel 3) Praveen returns, and the singles for which he goes won’t be mithersome at all - Punjab need boundaries. The problem is that this pair won’t much want to take chances - but, on the other hand, can’t simply save themselves for an unlikely shy at the end. Punjab require 72 runs from 36 balls. Let’s talk tactics!
13th over: Punjab 75-5 (Saha 13, Patel 1) Well, you’d probably say Hyderabad are favourites now; just as I was saying earlier. Saha has a wild swing, it drops just shy of mid-on. Punjab require 76 runs from 42 balls.
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WICKET! Miller c Boult b Sharma 15 (Punjab 72-5)
Oh me, oh my. Miller loses patience, advancing, swiping, and sending a leading edge spiralling to mid-off.
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12th over: Punjab 71-4 (Miller 15, Saha 10) Henriques proceeds, and Punjab continue with the singles; presumably, the tactic is to keep them in the hunt, and then step it up at the end. Or, in other words, they’ve turned a simple chase into a mission, and Saha almost makes it even harder, edging, but into pad rather than stump. Punjab require 80 runs from 48 balls.
11th over: Punjab 65-4 (Miller 13, Saha 6) Sharma shuffles in, and Saha shovels a way a googly for one. The batting is a little more aggressive this over, Miller hitting over the infield, but finding the man at long-off and Saha sweeping hard but finding the man at square-leg. Each yields one. Punjab require 86 runs from 54 balls.
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10th over: Punjab 61-4 (Miller 11, Saha 4) Hyderabad are right into this, on their toes in the field and in tight on potential singles; wonder if Warner will bring back a quick and stick in a slip. Might give that lyric to Nas; Nas, if you’re reading, it’s yours. Meantimes, Henriques bustles in, ceding singles from two of his first three balls, then a leg-bye, then two more singles. Punjab could sure use a boundary; the rate is now 9.00
9th over: Punjab 56-4 (Miller 9, Saha 2) Wright then, Wriddiman! Saha gets underway with a pair of singles, split by one to Miller. The required run-rate is 8.63.
WICKET! Vijay run out 12 (Punjab 53-4)
What the blither is going on? Miller calls Vijay through for a second to midwicket, he blithely obliges though it’s never on, and a sensible throw packs him off to the hutch. Let’s increase the excitement with an ad break!
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9th over: Punjab 53-3 (Vijay 12, Miller 7) On comes Sharma, and ah, that’s a lovely sweep from Miller to the fence at square-leg - he got so low, and rolled his hands over the shot too.
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8th over: Punjab 48-3 (Vijay 12, Miller 3) The cat has been pigeoned; one more wicket, and Hyderabad will seriously fancy themselves. Miller gets off the mark with an inside edge - there’s an appeal for lb - and they run two in the meantime.
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WICKET! Bailey c Sharma b Henriques 22
I say! Bailey, who looked in consummate control, went after a full one, trying to hump over cover, and instead mishit to mid-off, who easily snaffled on the jog.
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8th over: Punjab 45-2 (Vijay 12, Bailey 22) Henriques is next for a go, and the batsmen continue with the composure.
7th over: Punjab 42-2 (Vijay 11, Bailey 20) Time for some spin, Karn Sharma into the attack. I’d expect Vijay and Bailey to milk him to begin with, and they do, a-nurdlin’ an’ a turnin’ singles from four of the first five balls, then a two from the six thanks to some leisurely fielding.
6th over: Punjab 36-2 (Vijay 9, Bailey 16) On comes Praveen Kumar, and Hyderabad will mind this, his first ball snapped for four to square-leg by Bailey. And he follows up with a leg-side wide, then a dot, then another wide; bad behaviours, really, especially when next comes one that sits up outside Bailey’s off-peg. He watches, rises, swings, and strokes four through cover, lovely shot. Oh, and here comes four more; the ball’s outside off, and Bailey rocks back and pulls over midwicket. Key over in the match, I’d reckon.
5th over: Punjab 21-2 (Vijay 9, Bailey 3) Boult allowed to continue by Warner, and well he might - Hyderabad need wickets, not death bowlers. Vijay pushes into the covers for a single, Bopara hits direct, they run a second, the umpires go upstairs, and it’s in by plenty. This is good from Punjab - they add two more singles, running hard and ro-tating the strike - but they’re not putting a dent in the score, meaning Hyderabad are still well in this.
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4th over: Punjab 17-2 (Vijay 6, Bailey 2) Bailey sends himself in early to settle things down and gets off the mark with one to midwicket. They manage a futher two singles off the over, and the run rate is already up to 8.37.
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WICKET! Marsh b B. Kumar 1 (Punjab 14-2)
Hello! Hello! This is a lovely ball from Bhuvi, full of length and quick off the pitch, taking Marsh’s inside-edge, obviously, and sending off-stump off on a frolic of its own.
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3rd over: Punjab 13-1 (Vijay 4, Marsh 1) Boult, preferred to Steyn partly because of his ability to swing the ball away from left-handers, greets Marsh with an off-side wide. Two dots follow, so Marsh pushes forwards into the off-side, instead imparting (yet another) inside-edge into the pad - they run one.
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WICKET! Vohra b Boult 5 (Punjab 10-1)
Boult really is a bowler of reliable excellence now, and he diddles Vohra, on one knee making room to drive, with an inswinger that induces an inside-edge.
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2nd over: Punjab 9-0 (Vijay 3, Vohra 5) Bhuvi comes in and Vohra reads his outswing, using it to hasten the ball’s progress over cover for four - that’s a lovely shot. And next a wide - Punjab managed an entire innings without offering one, nor no-ball neither - but then a jaffa beats the bat on the outside. Sunrisers need more of that, much more.
1st over: Punjab 4-0 (Vijay 3, Vohra 1) Vijay gets off the mark turning to square-leg for a rare three, before Boult finds tasty swing and movement off the pitch, contacting Vohra’s pad first ball. That looked close - the appeal wasn’t frantic, but there was no edge or owt; perhaps it was passing just over. Vohra then opens his account via inside-edge, and Punjab will be happy with that.
And here we go - Boult is ready to go, and he’ll need some wickets first up, early doors and all that. Turns out Marsh isn’t opening - I guess there’s not as much point, given a cruisable-to total.
I have absolutely no idea how Punjab can contrive not to win this.
Hyderabad finish on 151-6; Punjab require 152 to win.
That was fairly odd - Hyderabad batted with so little urgency once Warner departed. It’s almost as if their clear dissatisfaction with the middle-order has transmitted to the middle-order.
20th over: Hyderabad 151-6 (Reddy 22, Sharma 0) This has been very excellent a death bowling from Sandeep and Anureet - what exciting talents they are. But then Anureet overpitches, allowing Reddy to fling the bat and hump the ball into the stands at cow corner - and then a slower one has him down on one leg, slamming six more. It’s gone miles, that, to the same fence but further. Well bowled, Punjab. Well dithered, Hyderabad.
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WICKET! Henriques b Sandeep 30 (Hyderabad 136-5)
Henriques finally tries something, sidestepping room, but the ball’s right in the block-hole, he topples, and the stumps rattle.
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20th over: Hyderabad 136-5 (Henriques 30, Reddy 9) Sandeep is given the responsibility of finishing, and he opens with a great delivery, reverse-swinging and zoning in on Henriques’ laces; dot.
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19th over: Hyderabad 136-5 (Henriques 30, Reddy 9) There has been no charge; how peculiar. Quite simply, as Anureet returns to deliver his customary yorkers from around the wicket, it’s impossible to see that Hyderabad have any chance at defending whatever they end up with. They rustle up just five singles from the over, and even a 36er to finish would leave them significant underdogs.
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18th over: Hyderabad 131-5 (Henriques 27, Reddy 7) Reddy sends Johnson back when in the middle of his delivery stride - bet he liked that - and then paddles two away over the off-side. Next, more consternation as he lifts over cover’s head for four, then more still via pair of singles, but in the scheme of things, it’s like, whatever.
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WICKET! Bopara c Saha b Johnson 2 (Hyderabad 123-5)
Johnson bangs one in and Bopara generously offers it the pleasure of his bat, guiding a catch behind. Lucky he was preferred to the world’s premier strike bowler.
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18th over: Hyderabad 123-4 (Henriques 26, Bopara 0) Here’s Mitch to bowl his last over.
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17th over: Hyderabad 123-4 (Henriques 26, Bopara 0) They scamper two more to midwicket, and that’s that.
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WICKET! Ojha c Miller b A. Patel 28 (Hyderabad 121-4)
Trying to force the issue, Ojha swipes, but can only find Miller at long-on. Here’s Ravi!
17th over: Hyderabad 121-3 (Henriques 24, Ojha 28) Axar comes in, and Henriques makes room to slap four over mid-off.
16th over: Hyderabad 114-3 (Henriques 17, Ojha 28) Ojha spanks Anureet’s first ball back at him, navel height, and hands are thrown at it, mid-follow-through, gaining only pain. They run one, and another next ball, before Ojha carves behind square on the off-side for four, then clumps over to leg for the same again. It’s a start, I guess.
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15th over: Hyderabad 104-3 (Henriques 16, Ojha 19) Finally, some aggression, Ojha down the pitch to hammer Patel to the fielder at long-off. They achieve one, and a total of six from the over; dearie them.
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14th over: Hyderabad 98-3 (Henriques 14, Ojha 15) Hyderabad need “a good death overs”, says nounification’s Owais Shah, and Johnson returns to ruin the prospect. They take singles from his first four balls, then a dot, then one off the hip to Ojha when he strays down leg. The run rate is 7.00 overall and 5.60 for the last five overs.
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13th over: Hyderabad 92-3 (Henriques 12, Ojha 11) On comes Dhawan, and Ojha places his first ball between various off-side fielders, gaining four past mid-off. Then, he clips hard to leg, and contrives, with Henriques, to spurn an easy single, setting off and turning back. Seven from the over; Hyderabad need to do something. As such, let’s fling ourselves into a tactical time-out.
12th over: Hyderabad 85-3 (Henriques 11, Ojha 5) Anureet returns, and Ohja is finding this hard. After two dots, he waves a flat bat at one on a fourth stump line, misses, and looks relieved not to have edged. It’s quite some time since Hyderabad mustered a boundary, and they’re not exactly hot between the wickets either, spurning an easy second run from the final ball of an over that yields just three.
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11th over: Hyderabad 82-3 (Henriques 10, Ojha 3) Vijay is hustling hard, fairly racing through his overs before the batters have time to impart and boundaries.
10th over: Hyderabad 76-3 (Henriques 7, Ojha 0) Punjab are cock-a-hoop, as it were.
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WICKET! Warner c Miller b Patel 58 (Sunrisers 76-3)
World of trouble for Punjab now. Warner dances down, looking to flip over midwicket from middle stump, but it’s a long boundary, so that when he doesn’t get hold of it, an easy catch is delivered to long on. That looked a bit silly.
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9th over: Hyderabad 70-2 (Warner 53, Henriques 6) Vijay continues, his off-spin counteracting Warner’s left-handedness so far. But he raises his fifty with a bump into the off-side - they run two - and then a single gives Henriques a go to get one. Sunrisers are creating a slow middle over concept in T20, got to admire that.
8th over: Hyderabad 65-2 (Warner 49, Henriques 5) Patel’s left-arm spin is introduced, and the batsmen are becalmed - perhaps Warner has decided to bat time, given the ropey nature of his middle-order. Just four singles fro the over, so, as you’d expect, it’s essential that adverts be disguised as tactical discussion.
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7th over: Hyderabad 61-2 (Warner 47, Henriques 3) The spin of Murali Vijay comes into the attack - brave boy. But Warner treads softly on his dreams, responding to Henriques’ single with one of his own, and they alternate for five from the over.
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Vihari c Vohra by Anureet 9 (Hyderabad 56-2)
Vihari, now full of confidence, tries a pull from outside off, misjudging the pace of a slower one and spooning a catch to square-leg.
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6th over: Hyderabad 56-1 (Warner 45, Vihari 9) And now Vihari fancies some, standing tall and easing Anureet’s first ball through extra cover for four. Then, after a a single and a leg-bye, he’s back at the business end to time a lift through the line, back over the bowler’s head for another boundary.
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5th over: Hyderabad 46-1 (Warner 45, Vihari 0) Again, Warner managed to finagle strike for the start of this over, and he presses back to stroke the first ball to the cover fence with minimum effort. And oh look! There’s another! Chipped over the bowler’s heed for four more! And oh look! There’s another! Eased through an off-side now housing five fieldsmen, around the cover region. And oh look! There’s another! Flicked through midwicket! David Warner is not of this world - he has 45 of Hyderabad’s first 46 runs.
4th over: Hyderabad 30-1 (Warner 29, Vihari 0) Johnson hurls one right into Warner’s slot - well, right into Warner’s slow once he’s jumped back and come forward, to hammer through cover for four. Then, he makes room again, top-edging a bouncer that flies away over third man for six, persuading Johnson to go over the wicket - so this time, Warner advances to flow him down to long-on without moving his feet. What a ridiculous player! 15 from the over - Hyderabad needed that.
3rd over: Hyderabad 15-1 (Warner 15, Vihari 0) After three dots, Warner loses patience and pushes on the up and past mid-off - the pitch must be true. The ball races to the fence, and a single from the final delivery completes the over and means Wanrer will face the next.
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2nd over: Hyderabad 10-1 (Warner 9, Vihari 0) Interesting move from Hyderabad to throw Vihari in so early..
An anoynmous emailer writes: “Girl I work with ran the marathon yesterday. Her boyfriend was situated at mile 23 with a sign saying ‘marry me?’. She finishes the race quite emotional and all. Turns out he was joking. She’s apparently a bit peeved to say the least. Any OBOers have similar stories of jokes gone wrong?”
WICKET! Dhawan c Vijay b Johnson 1 (Hyderabad 10-1)
Dhawan goes to pull from well outside off, misses with the face but doesn’t with the top edge, directing it off the helmet to slip, where it’s easily taken. Huge breakthrough.
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2nd over: Hyderabad 10-0 (Warner 9, Dhawan 1) Dhawan takes a single, and Warner goes for Johnson. First, a clumping edge flies over the slips for four, and then four more go spinning over cover.
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1st over: Hyderabad 0-0 (Warner 0, Dhawan 0) In comes the gloriously promising Sandeep - how will the lefties handle his both-ways swing? With circumspection, he replies to himself, talking of himself in the third person, as Sandeep seams one into Warner - he tries to deflect into the leg-side, misses, and takes it on the pads. There’s an appeal, but the ball pitched outside the line, and the next one leaves the full face of the presented bat, moving off the pitch. Superb start for Punjab.
But, in the meantime, here come Warner and Dhawan...
So, Shaun Marsh, who was so brilliant last week, after being so curiously omitted hitherto, will open with Murali Vijay. If those two don’t fire, Punjab might have a problem, because theirs is not a fearsome batting order.
Teams, then, and it’s two changes apiece. For Punjab, Manan Vohra and Rishi Dhawan come in, while Virender Sehwag and Glenn Maxwell drop out.
Hyderabad bring in Manan Vohra and Rishi Dhawan, leaving out Dale Steyn - as you do, hoping to bowl first on a green top - and KL Rahul.
Toss time!
Bailey tosses, Warner calls heads, it’s tails. On account of a greenish wicket, Punjab bowl - Hyderabad would’ve done too.
Preamble
Please consider: I just can’t help thinking what you’ve done to me. You built a wall of love and tore it right down in front of me.
This one beats that one, that one beats the other one, and round and round we go; thus proceeds the IPL. Last week, Punjab produced the finest performance of the competition so far to defeat Rajasthan; then, a few days later, were thoroughly coated by Chennai. Last week, Hyderabad sorted Kolkata, the defending champions; then, a few days later were comprehensively handled by Mumbai. They sit bottom and third bottom respectively, and yet, it hardly matters; a couple of consecutive victories, and they won’t anymore.
The picture you see is no portrait of me, it’s too real to be shown to someone I don’t know. And it’s driving me wild, it makes me act like a child. Excellent.
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