The bail that stayed on
The Plays of the Day from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, in Kolkata
Siddarth Ravindran
26-Apr-2013
Azhar Mahmood responded to a dropped catch by bowling Gautam Gambhir next ball • BCCI
The fortune
One of the common sights this season has been stumps dramatically flying out of the ground, even when the ball has only made slight impact. At Eden Gardens though, at a crucial juncture in the game, not only did the stumps remain firmly lodged in, but even the bails didn't come off. An over after Jacques Kallis was dismissed during Knight Riders' chase, Piyush Chawla bowled a flighted, full delivery to Eoin Morgan. The batsman attempted one of his unique starfish sweeps and missed the ball, which went on to brush leg stump. The leg bail shifted a touch but not enough to fall over, and Morgan survived to take his team within two runs of victory.
One of the common sights this season has been stumps dramatically flying out of the ground, even when the ball has only made slight impact. At Eden Gardens though, at a crucial juncture in the game, not only did the stumps remain firmly lodged in, but even the bails didn't come off. An over after Jacques Kallis was dismissed during Knight Riders' chase, Piyush Chawla bowled a flighted, full delivery to Eoin Morgan. The batsman attempted one of his unique starfish sweeps and missed the ball, which went on to brush leg stump. The leg bail shifted a touch but not enough to fall over, and Morgan survived to take his team within two runs of victory.
The drop
Hardly a match goes by in the IPL without a sitter being put down. Today was no different. In the second over of the chase, Manvinder Bisla chipped a ball towards Mandeep Singh at cover. It wasn't a powerful shot, or one that required Mandeep to dive or move much to either side. It came to Mandeep around head height and should have been easily taken. Instead, Mandeep jumped as he tried to clasp it and it went through his hands. Bisla was on 1 at the time and went on to make 51.
Hardly a match goes by in the IPL without a sitter being put down. Today was no different. In the second over of the chase, Manvinder Bisla chipped a ball towards Mandeep Singh at cover. It wasn't a powerful shot, or one that required Mandeep to dive or move much to either side. It came to Mandeep around head height and should have been easily taken. Instead, Mandeep jumped as he tried to clasp it and it went through his hands. Bisla was on 1 at the time and went on to make 51.
The self-help
Azhar Mahmood was the bowler to be denied a wicket by that Mandeep drop. He responded in the best possible fashion, getting the opposition captain and in-form batsman Gautam Gambhir bowled with an inswinging delivery, making sure he didn't need the help of any of his team-mates for the dismissal. It provided much-needed relief for Mahmood, whose comeback game after a spell on the bench had started with a scratchy seven-ball 2 that extended his horror run with the bat.
Azhar Mahmood was the bowler to be denied a wicket by that Mandeep drop. He responded in the best possible fashion, getting the opposition captain and in-form batsman Gautam Gambhir bowled with an inswinging delivery, making sure he didn't need the help of any of his team-mates for the dismissal. It provided much-needed relief for Mahmood, whose comeback game after a spell on the bench had started with a scratchy seven-ball 2 that extended his horror run with the bat.
The duck
Yusuf Pathan was one of the players Knight Riders built their franchise around when the teams were shuffled in 2011. He has struggled to live up to that top billing ever since, and today was no different. He doesn't bowl much these days, and his main contribution in the field was messing up a regulation stop to concede a boundary. To top off a game to forget, he fell first ball, nicking Mahmood behind after a half-hearted poke.
Yusuf Pathan was one of the players Knight Riders built their franchise around when the teams were shuffled in 2011. He has struggled to live up to that top billing ever since, and today was no different. He doesn't bowl much these days, and his main contribution in the field was messing up a regulation stop to concede a boundary. To top off a game to forget, he fell first ball, nicking Mahmood behind after a half-hearted poke.
Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo