MI scrambles to victory

Rayudu prevents T&T from pulling off a miracle

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium bore witness to yet another last-ball finish as Mumbai Indians notched up the narrowest of victories for a second time in the Champions League T20.

The side may have been granted special dispensation to field five foreigners in the competition, but it was Andhra’s Ambati Rayudu who is owed a large part of the credit for the one-wicket win over Trinidad & Tobago; his unruffled 36 (47b, 3×4) averted an otherwise certain defeat. Ravi Rampaul’s fiery bowling effort (4-0-17-3) which earned him the Man-of-the Match award and Samuel Badree’s parsimony (4-0-14-1) nearly helped their side pull off a remarkable win but the night was to end in heartbreak for the islanders.

After a half-decent start, Trinidad & Tobago had lurched to 98 after losing eight wickets for 41 runs in a space of 9.3 overs.

In pursuit, 11 runs were required off Sherwin Ganga’s final over with Lasith Malinga and Rayudu at the crease; the former’s six off the second ball was sandwiched by two singles. Both batsmen were, however, run out off the next two balls, Rayudu dismissed attempting a second run off the penultimate delivery. With two needed off the final ball, all three results appeared likely but the field had been pushed back and Yuzvendra Chahal managed two knocking the ball to the legside — he could still have been run out, but Adrian Barath’s throw was not perfect and Denesh Ramdin could not hit the stumps.

T. Suman opened for Mumbai in place of Davy Jacobs — the South African having been ruled out of the competition after being struck on the hip in the ‘nets’ on Sunday — but he and Aiden Blizzard had returned to the dugout inside four overs. James Franklin, Jacobs’s replacement, was Rampaul’s second victim after Suman, edging a rising delivery to first slip. Rampaul thundered in next ball, uprooting Andrew Symonds’s off-stump with a yorker.

Kieron Pollard was nearly run out off the first ball he faced. He did not last too long however, bowled by Sunil Narine after the ball ricocheted off his front leg.

Rayudu and R. Sathish then set about working on the recovery: from 33 for five in 8.3 overs, they helped the score to 65 in seven more overs — a period that included 28 balls without a boundary — before the latter was dismissed. Harbhajan Singh lightened Mumbai’s fears with a six off Sherwin Ganga but was run out with 24 needed off 17 balls. Fifteen were needed off the final two overs, but Rampaul conceded only four runs. Neither side was clear favourite at that point; the result did nothing to set them apart either.

When T&T batted, though Barath fell early, Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo appeared completely unfettered at the crease.

At 41 for one in the fifth over, things appeared to be going swimmingly well but calamity was round the corner. Simmons failed to ground either bat or foot over the line attempting a run.

Darren Ganga and Denesh Ramdin came and went, and Jason Mohammed emerged highest scorer, mustering 23 off 27 balls, with those at the other end showing little inclination to linger. T&T could not have imagined how close it would get to victory.

The scores:

Trinidad & Tobago: L. Simmons run out 21 (18b, 2×4, 1×6), A. Barath b Malinga 11 (8b, 2×4), D. Bravo b Harbhajan 18 (15b, 2×6), D. Ganga c Sathish b Franklin 5 (8b), D. Ramdin c & b Harbhajan 0 (1b), J. Mohammed c Rayudu b Pollard 23 (27b, 1×4, 1×6), S. Ganga lbw b Harbhajan 2 (5b), K. Cooper lbw b Malinga 0 (4b), R. Rampaul run out 0 (1b), S. Narine c Chahal b Abu Nechim 11 (9b, 1×4), S. Badree (not out) 0 (2b), Extras (w-7) 7; Total (in 16.2 overs) 98.

Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-41, 3-57, 4-57, 5-64, 6-78, 7-83, 8-83, 9-95.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Malinga 4-0-22-2, Nechim 2.2-0-17-1, Chahal 1-0-13-0, Harbhajan 4-0-22-3, Franklin 3-0-15-1, Pollard 2-0-9-1.

Mumbai Indians: T. Suman c S. Ganga b Rampaul 10 (13b, 1×4), A. Blizzard c Simmons b Badree 2 (7b), A. Rayudu run out 36 (47b, 3×4), J. Franklin c Badree b Rampaul 0 (2b), A. Symonds b Rampaul 0 (1b), K. Pollard b Narine 9 (10b, 1×4), R. Sathish c Simmons b Narine 14 (25b, 1×4), Harbhajan Singh run out 9 (7b, 1×6), L. Malinga run out 15 (8b, 1×4, 1×6), Abu Nechim (not out) 0 (0b), Y. Chahal (not out) 2 (1b), Extras (w-1, nb-1) 2; Total (for nine wickets in 20 overs) 99.

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-13, 3-14, 4-16, 5-33, 6-65, 7-75, 8-96, 9-97.

Trinidad & Tobago bowling: Badree 4-0-14-1, Rampaul 4-0-17-3, Cooper 4-0-27-0, Narine 4-0-10-2, S. Ganga 4-0-31-0.