By Jamie Alter
Jesse Ryder’s ballistic approach had set the tone for Pune’s approach and Yuvraj ensured the platform was not wasted, lashing three sixes in the final over which cost 26 runs. Delhi’s bowling and fielding was poor, and much rests on their top order if they are to prevent a third straight defeat.
Published: Apr 17, 2011, 05:39 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 17, 2011, 05:39 PM (IST)
Yuvraj Singh scored 66 not out.
By Jamie Alter
Navi Mumbai: Apr 17, 2011
Jesse Ryder’s 27-ball 60 led the way and Yuvraj Singh finished off with a free-stroking 66 off 32 as Pune Warriors surged to 187 for five against Delhi Daredevils at the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium. Ryder’s ballistic approach had set the tone for Pune’s approach and Yuvraj ensured the platform was not wasted, lashing three sixes in the final over which cost 26 runs. Delhi’s bowling and fielding was poor, and much rests on their top order if they are to prevent a third straight defeat.
Ryder laid into Delhi’s bowling from the first ball of the match, which was a miscued slog over mid-on that dropped safely. The crispness of his hitting hereafter and a determination to allow none to settle was clinical, and gave Virender Sehwag plenty to worry about. After that mistimed slog, Ryder connected sweetly to take successive sixes of Venugopal Rao; Irfan Pathan was welcomed with two meaty shots, a drive past mid-off and a reverberating pull over midwicket for six; Umesh Yadav was slapped for three boundaries in his opening over; and the last ball of Shahbaz Nadeem’s first over was dumped for six.
While Ryder was blazing away, DD managed two wickets. Graeme Smith, who was given a reprieve first ball when no one appealed for a clear outside edge, top-edged to third man for 12 and Mithun Manhas – who dazzled with a hooked six off James Hopes – drove straight to mid-off for a breezy 20.
Delhi’s ground fielding was sloppy, with balls being misfielded and catches being dropped. The tenth over summarized the afternoon’s play aptly. Trying to slog-sweep Nadeem again, Ryder was dropped by Ashok Dinda at midwicket on 46; it was a simple chance which was muffed. Two balls later, Ryder danced out dumped the ball over long-off for six. To the next, he heaved to the deep where Aaron Finch ran across and made an utter mess of a regulation stop, conceding four. Off the final ball, Ryder again swept hard and this time was caught by a sliding Finch at deep backward square leg. Nothing about Ryder’s approach to batting had changed all over, while Delhi’s fielding had veered from shambolic to smart.
Robin Uthappa’s dismissal for four left Yuvraj needing to continue the good work done by Ryder, and he applied himself well. Like Ryder, Yuvraj targeted the balls to hit and played some pleasing strokes, the pick of which was a shuffled inside-out six off Pathan. He played down the ground well, with a free swing of the bat, and saved his best for the final over in which he swung the last three balls from Dinda for six, to raucous applause. It was devastating hitting from a man in a rich vein of form.
Brief Scores: PWI 187 for 5 in 20 overs (Yuvraj Singh 66*, Jesse Ryder 60, Mithun Manhas 20; Shahbaz Nadeem 2 for 39, Ashok Dinda 2 for 42, James Hopes 1 for 26) vs DD.
(Jamie Alter is a freelance cricket writer, having worked at ESPNcricinfo and All Sports Magazine. His first book, The History of World Cup Cricket, is out now. His twitter feed is @jamie_alter)
Pictures © AFP
