The stumping, the inevitables and vintage Symonds
Plays of the day from the IPL match between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad
Abhishek Purohit
24-Apr-2011
Lasith Malinga: Normal service • AFP
The stumping
Davy Jacobs has already stood up to Lasith Malinga, of all bowlers. So it was no surprise when he decided to stand up to Munaf Patel. But Munaf would not have expected a stumping to be added to his modes of dismissing a batsman, which is what Jacobs did to Daniel Christian. As the asking rate mounted, Christian decided to have a swipe at a length ball from Munaf, who normally gets extra bounce. He did, and Christian missed. Jacobs didn't. He collected the ball nonchalantly even as it climbed, saw Christian had stuttered out, and had the bails off before the batsman's foot was grounded back.
Davy Jacobs has already stood up to Lasith Malinga, of all bowlers. So it was no surprise when he decided to stand up to Munaf Patel. But Munaf would not have expected a stumping to be added to his modes of dismissing a batsman, which is what Jacobs did to Daniel Christian. As the asking rate mounted, Christian decided to have a swipe at a length ball from Munaf, who normally gets extra bounce. He did, and Christian missed. Jacobs didn't. He collected the ball nonchalantly even as it climbed, saw Christian had stuttered out, and had the bails off before the batsman's foot was grounded back.
The inevitable - I
Sachin Tendulkar held back Malinga, opening the bowling with Munaf and Harbhajan Singh. He even went to Abu Nechim before finally unleashing Malinga in the sixth over. Tendulkar had made him wait but Malinga gave his captain an early birthday present. Three balls into the over, the screaming yorker arrived. Shikhar Dhawan was in the firing line. He backed away to save his toes, but the bat came down too late, and the leg stump took a walk.
Sachin Tendulkar held back Malinga, opening the bowling with Munaf and Harbhajan Singh. He even went to Abu Nechim before finally unleashing Malinga in the sixth over. Tendulkar had made him wait but Malinga gave his captain an early birthday present. Three balls into the over, the screaming yorker arrived. Shikhar Dhawan was in the firing line. He backed away to save his toes, but the bat came down too late, and the leg stump took a walk.
The inevitable - II
Cameron White can't buy a run at the moment. He can't even steal a run at the moment. After pottering around for six balls to get off the mark with an edged single to third man, White managed to push a Kieron Pollard delivery to mid-off and eagerly set off for the single. But to his horror, Malinga was lurking close by. Even as White lumbered across, Malinga fired in a throw that clattered into the stumps, catching White short and putting him out of his misery.
Cameron White can't buy a run at the moment. He can't even steal a run at the moment. After pottering around for six balls to get off the mark with an edged single to third man, White managed to push a Kieron Pollard delivery to mid-off and eagerly set off for the single. But to his horror, Malinga was lurking close by. Even as White lumbered across, Malinga fired in a throw that clattered into the stumps, catching White short and putting him out of his misery.
The inevitable - III
Pollard just has to turn up, roll over his arm, and he promptly gets a wicket with his slow-mediums. The longer the hop, the sooner the wicket comes. He had MS Dhoni caught at third man with a delivery that was a foot outside leg stump against Chennai. Today he got Bharat Chipli with a short delivery that was miles outside off. It even came excruciatingly slowly off the wicket, begging Chipli to hammer it to the point boundary. Probably tired of waiting for the ball to arrive, Chipli launched into a cut that flew straight to point.
Pollard just has to turn up, roll over his arm, and he promptly gets a wicket with his slow-mediums. The longer the hop, the sooner the wicket comes. He had MS Dhoni caught at third man with a delivery that was a foot outside leg stump against Chennai. Today he got Bharat Chipli with a short delivery that was miles outside off. It even came excruciatingly slowly off the wicket, begging Chipli to hammer it to the point boundary. Probably tired of waiting for the ball to arrive, Chipli launched into a cut that flew straight to point.
The vintage show
Andrew Symonds is slowly cranking it up this season. He showed glimpses of his brute power against Chennai, and today, he displayed another vintage dimension of his batting. While Symonds has always been ruthless in slogging deliveries over long-on, at this best, he also used to back away outside leg and drill deliveries anywhere in the arc from square third man to long-off. He tried that on numerous occasions today, and towards the end, was pulling it off at will against Deccan's fastest bowlers, Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma. First he made room and dismissed Ishant to the sweeper cover boundary. Then he hammered Steyn over extra cover, and as if to prove that it wasn't all power, played a pleasing punch from outside leg that split sweeper cover and long-off.
Andrew Symonds is slowly cranking it up this season. He showed glimpses of his brute power against Chennai, and today, he displayed another vintage dimension of his batting. While Symonds has always been ruthless in slogging deliveries over long-on, at this best, he also used to back away outside leg and drill deliveries anywhere in the arc from square third man to long-off. He tried that on numerous occasions today, and towards the end, was pulling it off at will against Deccan's fastest bowlers, Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma. First he made room and dismissed Ishant to the sweeper cover boundary. Then he hammered Steyn over extra cover, and as if to prove that it wasn't all power, played a pleasing punch from outside leg that split sweeper cover and long-off.
Abhishek Purohit is an editorial assistant at ESPNcricinfo