| COMMENTARY |
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Mumbai win by 19 runs Over 20 Malinga 1-1-1-W-0-1wd-1 : 146-7 - The first ball is slashed to extra cover for a single, the second is clubbed out to long-on for one more by Dhoni and the third - a mean yorker - is dug out for a single to midwicket. That effectively takes Chennai out of the match. WICKET! But just to really put the final nail in, Zaheer bowls Dhoni with a full toss. The batsman was expecting another yorker and was completely taken by surprise as the ball flew off his thigh and cannoned into leg stump. Malinga, by the way, is bowling with an even rounder arm than before! He bowls a wide before Thilan Thushara blocks the final ball down the ground for a single. Over 19 Khan 1-1-1-0-2-1 : 141-6 - Zaheer bowls every ball in the blockhole and the batsmen manage just six runs from the over. Fantastic bowling from the left-armer, and it means that the Super Kings need 25 to win off the last over of the match. Over 18 Bravo 0-0-0-6-1-1 : 135-6 - Bravo bowls three short balls to Sharma, who swings at and misses all of them before finally connecting the fourth. It sails into the stands at cow corner - it took him a while but he finally realised he just needed to keep his head still instead of swinging out of his boots. But one six an over isn't enough at the moment, and Chennai have one foot in the grave. Chennai need 31 more runs to win from 12 balls at 15.5 per over. Over 17 Khan 1-6-2-1-1-2 : 127-6 - Shot! Dhoni slams Zaheer over long-off for a towering six as the left-armer returns. He hits the next ball down to long-on and Sharma comes back for the second, just scraping in as the throw comes in and the bails are lifted. This game is still alive as long as Dhoni is out there. Chennai need 39 more runs to win from 18 balls at 13.0 per over. Over 16 Malinga 0-1-W-0-1-4 : 114-6 - WICKET! Subramaniam Badrinath knows he doesn't have much time, and he goes after his first ball from Malinga. Unfortunately he doesn't get enough of it though and Bravo takes the catch at long-ong. Joginder Sharma is the new man in, and he faces because Dhoni didn't cross - very poor piece of cricket that. The Chennai skipper gets four off the last ball with a thick edge through the slips. Chennai need 52 more runs to win from 24 balls at 13.0 per over. Over 15 Jayasuriya 1-6-W-6-1-0 : 108-5 - Oram shows what he can do by coming down the track to hit Jayasuriya cleanly over long-on for six. WICKET! That'll be that from the big man Oram though, because he goes for a big swipe but top edges the ball straight up into the air. Having dropped one earlier the keeper is keen to make amends, and he does so by clinging onto it. Dhoni takes revenge for the downfall of his mate by smashing the next ball over long-on for six more. Over 14 Bravo 1-1-0-1-0-0 : 94-4 - Harbhajan is replaced by Bravo despite having one more over in the bag. It turns out to be a very clever move by Tendulkar as Bravo varies his pace quite brilliantly and allows only three singles off the over. Chennai need 72 more runs to win from 36 balls at 12.0 per over. Over 13 Jayasuriya 1-1-4-W-1-1 : 91-4 - WICKET! After hammering Jayasuriya for four through extra cover, Hayden goes for another one but slaps it to Zaheer at cover, where he takes a stunning catch diving to his right. Jacob Oram is the new man in, and he and Dhoni have a lot of work to do if Chennai are to pull this off now. Chennai need 75 more runs to win from 42 balls at 10.7 per over. Over 12 Harbhajan 1-1-1-0-6-1 : 83-3 - Dhoni tries to go after his international team-mate but mis-times the ball out to square leg for a single. But Hayden gets hold of his old verbal jousting partner and hammers a full toss over long-on for one of the flattest sixes you'll see. Chennai need 83 more runs to win from 48 balls at 10.4 per over. Over 11 Jayasuriya 0-0-1-0-1-1 : 73-3 - The advertisements out of the way, Jayasuriya bowls to the new batsman Dhoni. The Super Kings are content to rebuild for an over, and score just three singles as the run rate slips over 10 to the over. There's a fair crowd in, but they're rather quiet it must be said. Shahida Jacobs sums up the lack of festive spirit thusly: "After some slow stuff out in the middle, the fans look to amuse themselves by trying to get the Mexican wave going. They're not very successful, though, and it it's all over after barely going around the stadium once. Better luck next time peeps." Over 10 Harbhajan 1-1lb-1-1-W-0 : 70-3 - WICKET! Mumbai are back in control of this game, because one of Chennais' big hitters is gone. Flintoff tries to hit through midwicket but gets a lame top edge. Harbhajan shouts "mine!" and takes an easy catch to send Fred packing. Time for the 'strategy break'. Over 9 Jayasuriya 1-1-1-1-4-1 : 67-2 - Sanath Jayasuriya joins Harbhajan in the attack as Tendulkar decides to go with spinners in tandem. This could be a crucial little period as spin has traditionally been crucial at Newlands in limited overs internationals. The Indians also have JP Duminy if they want a third twirler. Flintoff hammers a low full toss over midwicket for four, but otherwise it's just singles. Over 8 Harbhajan 1-0-1-0-0-0 : 57-2 - Harbhajan is introduced, and it just so happens that he's bowling to Hayden. Wry smiles all round, and Bhajji restricts the batsmen to just two from the over. Over 7 Raje 4-4-4-1-1-1 : 55-2 - Screaming shot from Hayden who plays his cut very late to beat backward point and get four. He then paddles the next delivery from Rohan Raje over short fine leg for another boundary, and slaps the third ball of the over - a slower, shorter one - away through point. That just sat up and asked to be hit, and Hayden obliged. Raje recovers to concede only singles from the remainder of the over, but the damage was already done. Over 6 Malinga 4lb-1lb-0-0-1-1wd-0 : 40-2 - The force is with Flintoff today. This time he manages to unwittingly Chinese cut Malinga for four to fine leg. Somehow the umpire thought that was leg-byes though, and robs Fred of four runs.Malinga is using the slower ball frequently here, and it pays off as the batsmen mis-time a couple of strokes as they go too hard at the ball. At the same stage of their innings Mumbai were 40 for 1. Over 5 Bravo 0-0-4-0-1wd-6-3 : 33-2 - After allowing a couple of dot balls to a bowler he'll be fairly familiar with after England's recent jaunt in the Caribbean, Flintoff swipes Bravo to cow corner for four. He then tries to pull him away over midwicket and instead outside-edges it over third man for six! The benefits of going hard at the ball... The final ball of the over is driven handsomely past mid-off, who scampers back to limit Fred to three. Over 4 Khan 0-0-0-1-0-0 : 19-2 - Fantastic over from Khan, who capitalises on Chennai's cautious approach and allows only a single. Haydos and Fred share a laugh at the end of the over but they'll know they have work to do here. My good colleague Shahida Jacobs reckons this target would be too much for many teams, but says just one big innings from either Dhoni, Flintoff, Oram or Hayden will do the trick here. I'd have to agree. Over 3 Bravo 1-0-0-1-W-0 : 18-2 - Jonty Rhodes' influence shows as Harbhajan pulls off a diving stop at short fine leg. Would certainly have been four. Hayden gets away with a skied shot that should have been taken by the keeper Takawale but is instead dropped as he misjudges it. WICKET! Great catch! Raina skies one out to backward square leg, where Dhawan circles underneath it before taking a very tough chance right on the boundary rope. That brings Andrew Flintoff to the crease after a superb over from Dwayne Bravo. Over 2 Khan 1-0-4-1-4-4 : 16-1 - Hayden gets off the mark first ball with a single, and Raina plays a delightful late cut to earn four through backward point. Hayden gets four more for Chennais with a pull over midwicket as Zaheer drops short, then pummels the final ball of then over past mid-off for another boundary as the bowler over-compensates. The Super Kings are up and running. Over 1 Malinga 0-W-0-0-0-2 : 2-1 - WICKET! Lasith Malinga returns to action for the first time in over a year, and picks up a wicket second ball as Parthiv Patel guides it straight to Tendulkar in a third slip position. Suresh Raina comes in at number three but Malinga maintains a disciplined line and keeps Rain defensive. The left-hander goes after the final ball and sends it miles up in the air, but the fielder can't get to it after running back from short midwicket.
Chennai need 167 to win at 8.35 runs per over Over 20 Flintoff 1-1-1-1-W-4 : 166-7 - Having taken a hiding in his last over, Flintoff begins this one well with four singles as he keeps it nice and full. Neither Tendulkar nor the new batsman Zaheer Khan can get underneath him. WICKET! Flintoff misses the yorker, but Zaheer slaps the low full toss straight to long-off. The batsmen cross to give Tendulkar the strike for the final ball of the innings, and he gets it through extra cover for four. Over 19 Oram W-0-4-1-4-W : 157-6 - WICKET! Nayar departs after a most entertaining innings. Oram bowled a sly slower ball and the left-hander couldn't resist going after it, but unfortunately he toe-ends it straight down Thushara's throat at long-off. 35 off 14 balls Nayar made. WICKET! Harbhajan Singh is the new man in, and after watching Tendulkar reach his half-century off 45 balls with a handsome drive over cover, and hitting four runs of his own to cow corner, he's out. He attempted a quick single but Oram got to the ball quickly before throwing down the stumps at the non-striker's end. No replay required. Over 18 Flintoff 1-6-2-6-6-1 : 148-4 - There it is! The first six of what should be a tournament riddled with them as Nayar picks one in his arc and thrashes it over long-on for the maximum. And a low full toss gets the same treatment! Fred digs one in, but that's gone as well! Nayar pulls it over deep midwicket for another six. The runs are flowing now - 22 off that over - and this is suddenly looking like a solid total in the making. Over 17 Thushara 4-1-2-2-4-2 : 127-4 - What a shot! Tendulkar steps to leg and upper cuts the ball over cover for four. Such timing, and it forces left-armer Thushara to come around the wicket and change his angle. A single brings Nayar on strike, and he gets two to the onside and then two more for a cracking cover drive. He then swipes the next one to cow corner, where it lands a couple of inches short of the ropes, before taking two off the final delivery to make it 15 from the over. Over 16 Flintoff 1-0-0-1b-1-4 : 112-4 - Flintoff's overs have been saved for the final overs, so he'll bowl out from the Wynberg End. Nayar struggles badly, but is saved by Tendulkar who scrambles through for a bye as a bouncer makes the left-hander take evasive action. Nayar makes up for the earlier dot balls by pulling the final ball over midwicket for four to spoil an otherwise excellent over from Flintoff. Over 15 J Sharma 1-0-W-1-1-1 : 105-4 - WICKET! Bravo pulls a short ball with all his might, but pulls it straight to Hayden at deep square leg. The fielder came running in and dropped it the first time round before snatching it as it fell towards the ground. Mumbai are threatening to unravel now, but what can Abhishek Nayar do? He gets off the mark first ball, while Tendulkar continues to chip away at the other end. Over 14 Gony 1-1-W-1-1-4 : 101-3 - WICKET! The crowd goes quiet as the local boy departs. Duminy went after a short one but only succeeded in pulling it straight back to Gony, who takes the catch at the second attempt. Dwayne Bravo is the new man and he's off the mark first ball with a drive down the ground before getting his first boundary with an outside edge past the keeper. Over 13 Sharma 1-1-4-1-1-1 : 93-2 - Mumbai have upped the tempo in the last five overs and Duminy hits the ground running by pulling a long-hop square of short fine leg for four. The are some majestic shots in the rest of the over - a Tendulkar wristy flick and a Duminy straight-drive stand out - but they all result in singles. Over 12 Gony 4-1wd-1-3-W-1-1 : 84-2 - Gony returns, and Dhawan welcomes him back with a clubbed shot to cow corner for four. "We haven't seen a DLF maximum yet," observes a Kiwi commentator, reminding us of an expression we'll be hearing a lot of over the next five weeks. Flintoff then pulls off a brilliant piece of fielding on the backward square leg boundary, to limit Tendulkar's lovely flick to three runs. WICKET! Dhawan goes after attempting to pull a delivery that wasn't short enough. It rushes onto him and he just top-edges it to Dhoni as he runs in from midwicket. Local hero JP Duminy gets off the mark straight away with a quick single less than 24 hours after playing a one-day international against Australia in Johannesburg. Over 11 Oram 0-1-0-0-4-4 : 73-1 - Oram bowls a touch too short (and too slow), and Tendulkar just waits before dabbing it over slips for four. He then whacks the final ball over cover for four, showing no signs of having lost momentum during that pause in play. Game on. I reckon 150 will be a very good score. Ready to roll: Oh well that wasn't so bad. Off we go again with Oram continuing. By the way you can mail any musing to me at tristan.holme@teamtalkmedia.co.za. What are your first impressions? Wrack-up-the-advertising-money break: Or what is officially known as the 'strategy break' is now underway and we've just had some MC introduce us to five children who have been given R15,000 towards their education. Sweet. Over 10 Sharma 1-1-2-0-4-1 : 64-1 - Fine leg is up in the circle again, and this time Dhawan manages to lift Sharma over the fielder for four runs. These two batsmen are just getting into their groove, but of course we've reached the halfway stage so they'll have to wait seven and a half minutes before they can resume. Over 9 Oram 1-0-4-1-0-1 : 55-1 - It takes him two goes to get it away, but Tendulkar manages to scoop Oram and beat fine leg - who is up in the ring - to get four runs. Still only seven from the over as Mumbai await their first big one. Meanwhile, Shahida Jacobs reports that KP is locked and loaded baby: "Bangalore Royal Challengers Kevin Pietersen has graced us with his presence in the Media Centre. He already has his game face for the clash against the defending champions, the Rajasthan Royals, later in the day." Over 8 Sharma 0-1-1-1-0-0 : 48-1 - Joginder Sharma enters the attack and mixes up his pace nicely. Even when he bowls a couple of short deliveries they're so slow that the batsmen have to wait an age and end up pulling straight to fielders. Mumbai in just a hint of trouble here, but nothing too serious yet. Over 7 Oram 0-1-1-1-1-1 : 45-1 - Jacob Oram begins by beating the outside edge of new batsman Shikhar Dhawan's bat before a dog holds up proceedings. As Shahida Jacobs observes, every dog has its day, and it takes more than five minutes to get the hound off the field of play as security guards are continually evaded. The players are not too amused, but the supporters are enjoying this. One of the players try to trick the dog by offer it some food, but he is having none of it. Eventually we get back underway with the fielding restrictions lifted, and the batsmen content themselves with five singles. Over 6 Thushara 0-4-0-0-W-1 : 40-1 - A wild heave from Jayasuriya earns four as it flicks off the inside edge and beats fine leg. This really is a brutal game for bowlers, given that batsmen continually earn runs for terrible cricket strokes. WICKET! This time Jayasuriya doesn't get away with it, as he hoiks a full delivery straight to Hayden at short midwicket. Over 5 Flintoff 1-0-4-1-0-2 : 35-0 - Here's Andrew Flintoff in the canary yellow of Chennai. A short ball is tickled off of the ribs by Jayasuriya and runs away fine for four. Dropped! He's getting good bounce here is Fred, and it surprises Tendulkar as he tries to whip one onto the legside. The ball flicks off the leading edge to Matthew Hayden at slip and he puts down a sitter! Welcome back Haydos. Tendulkar balloons the final ball over point for a couple, but that was a good start from the Englishman. Over 4 Thushara 1-0-4-1-0-0 : 27-0 - Thushara isn't that short, but Jayasuriya jumps on one and pulls it through the vacant midwicket for four. He then eyes out the square leg boundary and almost whips one straight down Oram's throat, but the ball bounces just short and a single results. A bit of movement through the air keeps Tendulkar honest for the remaining two deliveries. By the way, Parthiv Patel is Chennai's wicketkeeper, leaving Dhoni to run around and skipper in the field. Over 3 Gony 1-4-0-1-0-4 : 20-0 - Gony very nearly runs out Jayasuriya as the veteran batsman attempts a quick single that was just a little too cheeky. A direct hit would have seen him out by a good two yards. Tendulkar then crunches the next delivery over extra cover for four. He tries to crash one down the ground but a diving stop by Jacob Oram keeps it to a single. It hasn't been the most electric start, but Jayasuriya releases a bit of pressure by coming down the wicket and swiping Gony over point for another boundary. Over 2 Thushara 1lb-0-1-4-1-0 : 10-0 - Jayasuriya takes a huge swipe at his fellow Sri Lankan Thilan Thushara and is hit on the front pad. Thushara launches a massive lbw appeal but that hit the batsman outside the line. A leg-bye results, and Tendulkar then gets one for a big slash at a wider delivery, sending it to third man. Jayasuriya gets the first boundary of the 2009 IPL with an outside edge past second slip for four. Meanwhile, Shahida Jacobs is dissatisfied with the slow-arriving fans: "In typical South African fashion, many fans - mainly those sitting in the members area - are still making their way to their seats with play already underway. They should really hang their heads in shame. Who in their right mind misses out on watching Tendulkar and Jayasuriya open the batting?" Over 1 Gony 1-0-0-1-0-1 : 3-0 - The 2009 IPL gets off the mark with Sanath Jayasuriya clipping Manpreet Gony to the on side for a quick single. There's some good swing on offer to Gony, and Sachin Tendulkar takes a couple of deliveries to get the feel of it before getting off the mark with a single through the covers. Teams: Chennai: Hayden, Patel, Raina, Badrinath, Dhoni, Thushara, Oram, Flintoff, J Sharma, Gony. Mumbai: Jayasuriya, Tendulkar, Dhawan, Duminy, Bravo, Nayar, Shah, Harbhajan, Z Khan, Malinga, Raje. Shahida Jacobs at the ground: "Despite the dodgy weather, the grass embankments - the area that generates the best atmosphere at Newlands - are packed and the fans are waiting in anticipation for the two teams to get the 2009 IPL underway." Excited yet? This will be a fantastic game to start the tournament with. Two of the favourites facing off, and we'll have Andrew Flintoff bowling to Sachin Tendulkar shortly. TOSS: Chennai have won the toss and made the obvious decision to bowl first. No doubt it will swing around a bit early on. "Looks like the sun might be appearing any moment now," informs our informant at Newlands. We should have the toss shortly then. The bad news is that it's been drizzling around Cape Town this morning and it doesn't look like these clouds will lift today. Fortunately though, our lady at the ground Julia Harris says that it has stopped raining at Newlands, the covers are off and she expects the match to start on time. Hello and welcome to Cricket365's coverage of the opening day of the Indian Premier League.
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