So that's that
Three wins out of three for the Royals, three losses out of three for the Indians. Smith was the undoubted match-winner but theirs was the more composed team performance throughout. Thanks for your company. Bye.
Result! Rajasthan 165-3 (Smith 79, Faulkner 6) – Rajasthan win by seven wickets
All over! Gopal bowls the final over, Faulkner chops away on the offside, they scurry through for a single. It looks, initially, as if he’s run out at the bowler’s end but after lengthy scrutiny of the TV replays, it is confirmed that the bails have not been dislodged in time.
19th over: Rajasthan 164-3 (Smith 79, Faulkner 5), target 165
Malinga’s final over: His first offering is nudged square on the legside by Faulkner for one. Smith is back on strike, and he creams Malinga through the offside for four. “That’s just batting, none of yer fancy stuff,” as yer old-school Fred Boycott types would say. An utterly textbook cricket shot. Two more follow, and then a dot ball as Smith can’t fully connect with a full attempted yorker. It’s a good comeback within the context of the over from Malinga but Smith cracks the final ball of the over through the covers again for four. This man can do no wrong. One run needed.
18th over: Rajasthan 153-3 (Smith 69, Faulkner 4), target 165
Suyal, who’s bowled well at times, comes on to bowl his final over and doesn’t give the batsmen much. Smith pushes him down the ground for a single, before Faulkner takes a well-run two with a clip on the on-side. Another single follows and then a dot, as Smith plays all round a slower full toss. He connects with next, cracking it out to deep midwicket for two, and then a good over from Suyal is undone by a possibly decisive six – an effortless legside flick high into the stands. Just a run a ball needed now.
17th over: Rajasthan 141-3 (Smith 59, Faulkner 1), target 165
Smith looks quietly unstoppable. Malinga continues, and is cracked wide over mid-on for four by Smith first off. Superb stuff. The bowler shuffles his field a little, but to no avail as Smith opens his shoulders and brings up his 50 with a dashing open-faced drive square on the off for four more. That’s his first IPL half-century, would you believe. Another rollicking cover drive follows, though this only brings two, but that’s not a problem. Especially as the luck is with him, a slashed edge beats third man and goes for four more. A slower ball then foxes him and beats him but Smith nudges a single off the final ball of the over to keep the strike. Twenty-four needed off three.
16th over: Rajasthan 126-3 (Smith 45, Faulkner 1), target 165
Smith elegantly rocks back and turns Suyal away on the legside for three – he’s batting like a finisher, here. Faulkner picks up one before Smith gets some luck – but the luck that comes from batting with assuredness and conviction – as he squirt-edges a fine full delivery to the third man boundary for four. Suyal’s bowling a good probing line and length though and induces two play-and-misses from Smith, with, respectively, a well pitched up one and a zestier, shorter delivery. It’s all good stuff, but it’s undone by a no-ball at the end which Smith chips down the ground for two. The free-hit delivery is also called a no-ball, this time for being wild and over waist height. Smith only gets one from the following ball though, so it could have been worse for the bowler.
Meanwhile, an email: “Never seen two teams wearing such similar strips,” writes James Lane. “Both midnight blue with gold highlights. How could the marketing machine known as the IPL possibly have overlooked away kits?” Good question. How could you possibly ever play cricket when both teams are in the same colour of clothing?
Wicket! Hooda b Malinga 13
15th over: Rajasthan 113-3 (Smith 35, Faulkner 0), target 165
Mumbai respond by bringing Malinga into the attack, and Smith meets a full-length attempted yorker with an elegant deflection down to deep extra cover for two. Malinga hits back with a faster, smarter outswinger that the batsman misses. He tries to vary it too much next ball though – it’s down the legside and wide and called as such by the umpire. Picture-perfect cover drives for two and one respectively follow from the Australian, giving big-hitting Hooda his first shot at Malinga (or vice versa). And the bowler wins the battle, a full and straight delivery blasting Hooda’s leg-stump out of the ground. There’s a TV review as Malinga had strayed close to the line, but it’s given out.
Faulkner is the new man in. And has to dab out a low full toss without scoring.
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14th over: Rajasthan 107-2 (Smith 30, Hooda 13), target 165
A big change of tempo. Smith chips Gopal down the ground for one bringing the new man Hooda on strike. His first shot is in the air and the bowler dives for a caught-and-bowled chance but it eludes him and brings a single. Smith essays a fairly unattractive hoik away on the legside for another single. Then – Hooda connects! He sends his second ball faced away beyond long-on for six – it owed as much to timing as power. Followed by – another! A straighter higher drive for six more.
Wicket! Rahane c Anderson b Gopal 46, Rajathan 92-2
13.1 overs: Rajasthan 92-2 (Smith 28), target 165
It feels as if at any given point in the past 12 months you could have turned on a sports channel and seen an unruffled Steve Smith batting. But his partner isn’t, anymore – Rahane slices Gopal down the ground and Corey Anderson catches him at long off. Which prompts an ad break and a time-out. Now the Royals might have to step it up a bit.
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13th over: Rajasthan 92-1 (Rahane 46, Smith 28), target 165
We have spin at both ends, as Suchith continues. This pair seem content to just take ones and twos at the moment, and there’s distracted crowd noise as a result, that isn’t directly related to the action. Then – a stumping appeal – as Smith is well beaten and the keeper, Patel, whips off the bails. It didn’t look out, and it isn’t. A dug-out single and a drive down the ground follow as Smith and Rahane respectively trade the strike in scoring singles. It’s a good over – until the last ball of the over is elegantly smote along the ground and down the ground for four by Smith.
12th over: Rajasthan 85-1 (Rahane 44, Smith 23), target 165
A chance! Perhaps? Rahane pulls the new bowler Gopal in front of square and Chand, diving forward, gets a hand on it but can’t hold it – it was a very tough one, to be honest. Rahane gets two from it, as he does the next ball, working the ball through the gaps on the legside deftly. Gopal’s trying to tuck Smith up though, and does so effectively when he spots him dancing down the track, by pushing one through a bit quicker, yielding only a single. A fairly economical over, but Mumbai need a breakthrough now.
11th over: Rajasthan 78-1 (Rahane 38, Smith 22), target 165
Smith is still shuffling about across his stumps in search of his ones and twos, taking Suchith for a single before Rahane edges uncertainly but gets two behind the keeper. His next shot is better, a neat lofted cover drive for two, but Mumbai might be pleased here that they’re preventing boundaries. But the batsmen looked composed too, and they’ve now added 50.
10th over: Rajasthan 69-1 (Rahane 32, Smith 19), target 165
Low-key, measured, rhythmic. Smith cracks Anderson languidly to deep point for one; Rahane cover drives for another single; Smith turns the ball away to deep midwicket for two; dot. Then, the rhythm is interrupted by what looks like a wide that Smith tries to play, and miss. It’s not called wide, and a slightly ruffled Smith plays and misses at the next one too.
Over in Antigua, Jimmy Anderson has taken his 381st Test wicket - only two more to go to catch Botham.
9th over: Rajasthan 65-1 (Rahane 31, Smith 16), target 165
It’s a very different sort of innings this. Where Mumbai’s was a stop-start innings of extremes, Rajasthan are mostly just purring along here. Suchith resumes, Rahane hauls him wide past mid-on for two, and tries the same shot but better next ball: this one carries both more force and placement and hits the ropes for four. Strategic time-out time – 100 needed off 11.
8th over: Rajasthan 57-1 (Rahane 24, Smith 15), target 165
Corey Anderson gets a bowl, which he didn’t do in the Indians’ previous match but his dander might be up after his exemplary batting. He’s pretty on the money, starting off with two dots before Smith brings up his side’s 50 with a square cut on the offside. Rahane later steps it up a bit with an improvised sort-of lofted cut for four, but it’s hit with confidence and timing and brings a deserved four. Anderson comes over the wicket for the last ball of the over, which Rahane brushes off his thigh nonchalantly for one.
7th over: Rajasthan 49-1 (Rahane 19, Smith 12), target 165
The spinner Suchith is introduced to the attack. Smith advances and pushes him down the ground for one, as singles and twos are milked and the strike is rotated. Good, solid middle-overs batting.
6th over: Rajasthan 42-1 (Rahane 17, Smith 7), target 165
We have the first bowling change, and it’s Malinga. Rahane dabs him down to the gully area for one, but the Slinger has Smith in a bit of trouble when playing an awkward forced play-and-miss drive. But just as we dissect his poor technique on that shot, Smith pivots and pulls Malinga emphatically to the midwicket boundary for four. He gets one more, and Rahane essays a controlled pull for two to take Royals to 42.
Wicket! Samson c Rohit b Kumar 17
5th over: Rajasthan 33-1 (Rahane 14, Smith 1), target 165
Rohit Sharma is persisting with his two opening bowlers, a very different tactic from that of Smith. Samson, looking to settle, effortlessly lofts a full-ish ball down the ground for four. But in attempting to repeat the trick, he’s undone. Samson plays across the line and dollies one up to Rohit on the offside. Easy dismissal. Which brings Smith to the crease, a man who it’s difficult to believe has made a single mistake in any aspect of his life in the past year. You’d want him to come round and put some shelves up for you that’s for sure. He’s off the mark with a single, enabling Rahane to then flick Kumar neatly down to the ropes at fine-leg for four.
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4th over: Rajasthan 24-0 (Rahane 10, Samson 13), target 165
Mumbai persist with Suyal, which attracts some consternation in the Sky commentary box, who then break off mid-over to give us a soft-focus Ahmedabad travelogue, which is nice. Suyal’s over is better, though, and yields only ones and twos, until Rahane steps forward and hoiks him across the line and to the long-on boundary for four, and follows it with a pushed two down the ground.
3rd over: Rajasthan 15-0 (Rahane 3, Samson 11), target 165
Aaron Finch does not appear to be out on the field – absolutely no surprises there – as Kumar continues. He looks as if he’s hit his groove, and beats Samson’s outside edge with a delicious away-seamer. But Samson responds cannily, edging down the pitch to smother the next ball and push it away on the legside for one. Rahane nudges square off his legs for another. Samson repeats his advancing down the pitch tactic but is almost undone with a sharper delievery that comes more quickly onto his bat than anticipated and is edged unconvincingly down to third man for one. A lot of intelligent cricket in that over, without any fireworks. Good stuff.
2nd over: Rajasthan 12-0 (Rahane 2, Samson 9), target 165
The left-arm seamer Pawan Suyal opens from the other end, but it’s an inauspicious first over from the bowler. Rahane short-arm jabs him round the corner for one. But a wider ball, short and outside off-stump, is punished with an elegantly pushed square cut for four. No slogging, just timing. Then Suyal concedes a free hit when he oversteps by a long way – Samson takes advantage with a rasping sliced square drive for four. A single and a half-hearted lbw appeal complete a productive over for the “home” side.
They're back out
1st over: Rajasthan 1-0 (Rahane 1, Samson 0), target 165
They’re back out. Vinay Kumar bowls the first over, Rahane – opening with Samson – faces first off and fends off three dot balls before tucking one away on the legside for a single. Kumar, too, is finding some decent new-ball swing in the dewey evening air, and the batsmen aren’t taking any chances. Just one run from the over.
20th over: Mumbai 164-5 (Suchith 0, Gopal 1). Innings complete.
Morris is tossed the ball for the final over of the innings, conceding only two to Anderson off his first ball – something of a relief for Royals after the boundary-related mayhem of the previous over – but there’s another four next ball, Anderson carving Morris over gully to the ropes. It gets worse/better as Anderson brings up his 50 with a straight-driven six – Rajasthan must be heartily sick of him. He is at least bowled off the fourth ball of the over, missing a low straight one. Gopal pushes his first ball down the ground for one, and the left-handed Suchith fails to connect with the last ball of the innings but sloppy throwing and gathering gives them two byes. And a respectable total.
Wicket! Anderson b Morris 50
Anderson’s fine knock comes to an end as he misses a straight one with two balls remaining.
Wicket! Pollard c Karun b Southee 70
19th over: Mumbai 149-4 (Anderson 38)
This is staggering stuff from Pollard, before his dismissal at the end of the over. Southee continues, and the West Indian prolongs his punishment, flicking a full delivery right ON to the ropes, which after TV-checking is confirmed as a six. He pulls the next for four, and then steps away from the next, then steps into it, and larrups it straight past mid-off for four – an astonishing piece of batting. Southee can do nothing about all this – he comes round the wicket next ball but Pollard just pulls him round the corner for six. Southee manages a dot ball, which is met with some pantomimic booing from the Gujarat crowd, and then his innings ends, as his on-drive is picked up in the deep by Karun. The end of a brilliant, innings-turning knock.
18th over: Mumbai 129-3 (Anderson 38, Pollard 50)
Smith gambles on Tambe, whose first ball is effortlessly smacked over the long-on boundary for six. A straighter drive next ball yields two, and a straighter, tighter delivery next up from the bowler restricts Pollard to a one on the legside. But Tambe’s worst ball is punished only with a grubbed, mistimed square cut for one from Anderson. Pollard gets two more after Rahane brilliantly cuts off four on the deep midwicket boundary and brings up his 50 off 28 balls to round off the over. Which wasn’t a bad one, with plenty of variation, but the batsmen are on top now. They’ve hit 46 off the last three overs.
17th over: Mumbai 116-3 (Anderson 37, Pollard 38)
Southee’s not the only Antipodean bowler being taken on here, Faulkner’s first two balls are hammered to the boundary, first on the legside for four, then driven on the offside for a huge six. The Australian responds well with a short, sharp ribcage-rattler that Pollard has to duck away from. But few people make slogging look so simple as Pollard, and he toe-ends the next ball – a low full-toss is sent over the bowler’s head for four. A nudged single brings Anderson on strike for the final ball of the over, which he on-drives for two.
16th over: Mumbai 99-3 (Anderson 35, Pollard 23)
An important, and excellent over, for Mumbai. Southee is on to bowl his third over, at his Kiwi compatriot Anderson, who properly connects with the biggest and best six of the innings so far, smacking him over the long-on boundary. He hits the next one in the same area, but not all the way – it bounces a couple of times before clearing the ropes. An attempted yorker is then dug out for one. Another attempted yorker is overpitched and Pollard this time cashes in, stylishly flicking the low full-toss all the way to the midwicket boundary for four. Southee, rattled a tad perhaps, comes around the wicket and Pollard unfurls a nice cover drive for one. Sixteen from the over – these two are well set now, and this game looks back in the balance.
In Antigua, England have been bowled out for 399.
15th over: Mumbai 83-3 (Anderson 24, Pollard 19)
Kulkarni returns, and Pollard turns him round for a single. Anderson nudges another down to third man. Kulkarni’s impressed, though, and even a slow long-hop catches the batsman by surprise, Pollard only steering it unconvincingly to midwicket. He’s ready for the next one, though, clubbing another short-ish away on the legside for four. The West Indies man adds another single before. Then, a big let-off for Anderson, as he drives Kulkarni down to long off and is taken, but replays show the bowler has overstepped. Anderson seeks to impose some facts on the ground by striding cockily back to the wicket before a decision is made, but it’s in his favour. He stays, and gets a free hit. He gets only one from it though, after bunting a full-toss to extra cover. Batting time-out time again, and time to ponder whether that no-ball might turn things in Mumbai’s favour.
14th over: Mumbai 74-3 (Anderson 22, Pollard 13)
A <insert sponsor’s name> Maximum – EVEN THOUGH A SIX IS NOT A MAXIMUM – as Pollard flicks Faulkner away magnificently, high to the midwicket boundary. The Aussie bowler responds decently, with a tempting carrot outside off-stump that the batsman nibbles at and misses. He ekes an uppish single through the offside after Faulkner brings a shorter one is brought into him a touch, but Anderson decides to have a go too and hits a confident lofted six into the stands to round off the over. It wasn’t a bad one, yet is the most expensive of the innings. These last six overs should be fun.
13th over: Mumbai 61-3 (Anderson 16, Pollard 6)
For all the talk of the grassy, skiddy surface, Morris is finding some proper, baked-surface style bounce here, and sends a sharp inswinger into Pollard’s gloves. Pollard rises to the challenge this time though, and clips the next ball beautifully over mid-on for four. He slogs inelegantly at the next and gets an inside-edged one, enabling Anderson to slog elegantly at the following delivery, a slower ball sent straight back over the bowler’s head for four more. But Morris comes back well with two dots. The cameramen go all Top of The Pops 1970s Cameramen (a reference for UK viewers of a certain age, I guess, that) and home in on the cheerleaders for the umpteenth time. Enlightenment, there.
12th over: Mumbai 52-3 (Anderson 12, Pollard 1)
The spritely Tamba continues. Pollard advances down the track and tries to hit him over the top – fails; then tries to slash him square for four – fails. He’s finally off the mark with a hoick down to long-on, but his partner, Anderson, is only picking out the fielders with his drives too. Then at last – a boundary – a nudged sweep behind the keeper is the only way to find it, at present, and it takes Mumbai to a tortured 50.
11th over: Mumbai 46-3 (Anderson 7, Pollard 0)
Morris is back into the attack, and finds a bit of surprising pace and bounce, sending a fizzing inswinger sharply into Anderson’s glove, which stings him a little and requires an extra examination of his hand. Morris the merciless repeats the delivery with his next ball, which has the exact same effect, rapping a wincing Anderson on the glove. The New Zealander tries a thumping cover drive with the next, fuller, delivery but that only finds mid-off, before he finally does score with a squarer drive through extra cover for one. This is excellent T20 bowling – in fact it would be excellent Test bowling too.
Wicket! Chand b Tambe 12 (Mumbai 45-3)
10th over: Mumbai 45-3 (Anderson 6, Pollard 0)
Another change of bowling, Pravin Tambe, the 43-year-old spinner, a man who epitomises the Royals’ nuggety star-less character. Chand takes two to deep square leg and one to long off. Mumbai can only take him for singles though, Anderson pushing another one down the ground, before Chand risks – rightly – running a two after a nudge though midwicket. His next decision is not so wise - he advances down the pitch and tries a straight drive, misses completly and is BOWLED, bringing Pollard to the crease. And even he gets down to play a forward defensive first off, which raps his pad but is not worth a serious lbw chance. Mumbai are in serious bother now, effectively 45-4
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9th over: Mumbai 39-2 (Chand 7, Anderson 5)
James Faulkner comes on for his first over, and Mumbai are generally not taking risks at the moment. Anderson leaves his first three. He’s clearly biding his time, but time isn’t massively on his team’s side at the moment, especially as he plays and misses rather horribly at a gentle away-swinger, fifth ball. And Faulkner’s not far from getting his man at the end of the over as Anderson misses a shorter one just on middle and leg. A maiden.
In the Caribbean meanwhile, England are doing one of their little collapses.
8th over: Mumbai 39-2 (Chand 7, Anderson 5)
A new bowler, the spinner Deepak Hooda, is brought into attack and foxes Chand first up with one that beats his outside edge. Chand stumbles into a sweep shot next ball that could have gone anywhere (as could the player, and his bat) but scrambles a run off it. Anderson drives down the ground for a single, Chand does likewise, but that’s all. Another very handy over.
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7th over: Mumbai 35-2 (Chand 5, Anderson 4)
Corey Anderson – now even more of a key man – is in and gets off the mark with a confident cover drive for four. Can he repeat his heroics in this fixture last year, in rather different circumstances?
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Wicket! Rohit c Smith b Binny 0. Mumbai 31-2
6.3 overs: Mumbai 31-2 (Chand 5)
Binny is back, but even though the powerplay is over, Mumbai’s pecker is up and their field is in. And it yields a big wicket, a regulation edge from Rohit to first slip that Smith snaffles comfortably. Mumbai respond by calling a commercially-useful TV advertisement break batting time-out.
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6th over: Mumbai 31-1 (Chand 5, Rohit 0)
Southee returns to the attack, and induces a fairly ugly slash outside off stump from Chand with an outswinger – the batsman gets nowhere near it. He’s a fine bowler to watch, Southee, and Chand is struggling to get bat and ball to his tempting little carrots outside off-stump. But if you’re gonna slash, slash hard – as bumbling club cricketers always say to convince themselves they’re being tactically smart in some way – and Chand does just that with a drive high and beyond second slip for four. It’s the only scoring shot of the over though.
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5th over over: Mumbai 27-1 (Chand 1, Rohit 0)
Kulkarni stays in the attack, after a fine first over, and tucks Chand up with two dot balls, to the extent that he frustratedly plays an erratic cut on the third ball which he chops behind him for a fortuitous single. Patel is then OUT, undone by a slower ball that he can only spoon up to Morris at mid-off. Kulkarni deserved that, and Rohit is in early-ish after all. He’s cautious and doesn’t attempt to force the pace, or score a run, with his first two balls. Royals are on top at the moment.
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Wicket! Patel c Morris b Kulkarni 16 (Mumbai 27-1)
Patel undoes his accomplished start by hacking it straight to mid-off
4th over: Mumbai 26-0 (Patel 16, Chand 0, Finch ret hurt 10)
One-over spells are the order of the day for Steve Smith here, as Stuart Binny comes into the attack at the other end, and is turned round the corner first up by Patel for one. Finch is already looking the rather more flustered of the two batsman, fretting a tad as a straight drive can’t make it past the bowler, but he scurries through for a single next ball. However, he goes down in agony as soon as he makes his ground. It looks like he’s twanged a hamstring and he needs treatment, which gives the PA-system operators in Hyderabad an excuse to pump out some disposable trance-pop. Finch, however, can’t continue and is helped from the field.
Unmukt Chand comes to the crease. Patel has strike though, and plays what’s been his most productive stroke so far – a flick off his legs – to add a couple more. Then Binny has a big appeal with the final ball of the over as Patel is struck low on the pads but it’s deemed to be drifting down leg.
3rd over: Mumbai 22-0 (Finch 9, Patel 13)
There are plenty of skiddy-looking green patches on this pitch. Kulkarni’s into the attack first change and has a luckless beginning to an otherwise excellent over, Patel inside-edging a chop beyond the keeper for four. He turns another one wide on legside for one. The bowler comes back well though, with an excellent orthodox seam-up away swinger that beats Finch all ends up. The Australian can’t work him away easily here, and sees off four dot balls in a row.
2nd over: Mumbai 17-0 (Finch 9, Patel 8)
The South African Chris Morris opens at the other end, and is a bit wayward with his first ball, over the wicket to the left-hander who effortlessly flicks a stray one down the leg side down fine down to the boundary for four. Patel plays another well timed shot off his legs in front of the wicket for three. The bowler’s finding some movement here though and tests Finch with a well-pitched up inswinger that the batsman has to work hard to dig out. The next one strays too far to legside though, and Finch flicks it nonchalantly to the boundary for four. A promising start for Mumbai.
1st over: Mumbai 6-0 (Finch 5, Patel 1)
Mumbai opt not to open with Rohit this time, sending Patel up the order, who’s likely to seek to play a similar anchor-man role as Rohit. Southee bowls the first over, and begins with a pleasing, if easily leave-able, away-swinger. And Finch duly leaves it. He’s off the mark next ball, thwacking it high and out to third man with one bounce. The left-handed Patel hurries off the mark first ball with a push through the covers. Finch then creams a full-ish delivery beautifully through the covers for four – he’ll relish that, having been out of sorts for a while. Pitch looks as if it might be a tad variable, bounce-wise.
Those teams at last
Rajasthan Royals: Rahane, Samson+, Smith*, Nair, Binny, Hooda, Faulkner, Morris, Southee, Kulkarni, Tambe.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma*, Finch, Chand, Patel+, Anderson, Pollard, Malinga, Gopal, R Vinay, Kumar, Bumrah, Ojha.
Mumbai have won the toss
And will bat.
The Indians will make three changes – Harbhajan among the absentees with a slight shoulder injury, while Watson is out for the Royals.
This match in Ahmedabad, of course, is a “home” match in name only for the Royals – they’re still banned from hosting games in their own state.
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While you’re waiting… why not try something even more eclectic? Namely, John Ashdown in this week’s The Spin on why cricket in the US is such an administrative mess that the ICC (yes even the ICC) might consider its governing body to be not fit to run the sport in the States.
Team news to come as soon we get it.
Preamble
Afternoon/evening everyone. And what times these are. Every type of cricket – and therefore every type of life – is going on at the same time. The IPL here, Test cricket in the Caribbean and the early amblings of the County Championship in the UK. Three forms of the game divided by a common language, and with ostensibly practically nothing in common.
But reductive discussions on which is the “superior” form of the game can be tedious. Just as it’s perfectly possible to savour both El Clásico and a Tuesday night’s non-league action at Enfield Town, so the gentler rhythms of the long game can - or should - coexist alongside the pyrotechnic-accompanied turbo-charged innovative six-belting of the IPL. In summary, for all the game’s concerns and disfunctions, there’s cricket wherever you look at the moment and we should enjoy it all.
To the matter at hand, today’s combatants have had contrasting starts to IPL 2015: the sturdy old (relatively) star-less Royals having swept aside Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils impressively enough, their range of canny mid-level internationals (Rahane, Smith, Faulkner) proving their worth. Mumbai, by contrast, have lost both their matches so far and it hasn’t really happened for Rohit Sharma’s side as yet. Although their opening defeat was a thriller, their top order hasn’t got going as a unit, though Rohit and Corey Anderson look to have carried their World Cup form back with them from the Antipodes.
However, the last meeting of these two sides – the final one of last year’s group stage – saw the Indians storm to victory to take the last play-off spot, underpinned by Anderson’s 95 off 79 balls that steered them to a five-wicket win with more than five overs to spare.
So I’m going to put myself, crazily, right out on a limb and predict that this will be high-scoring. Risk-taking, there.
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