Four consecutive sixes, and a quick recovery
Plays of the Day from the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Somerset in Hyderabad
Abhishek Purohit in Hyderabad
25-Sep-2011
Yusuf Pathan's big hitting gave the crowd a reason to cheer • AFP
The collective effort
Bowlers step aside, modern fielders hunt in packs too. But sometimes, even three of them aren't enough to prevent an overthrow. In the third over of Somerset's chase, Rajat Bhatia threw at the stumps from mid-on and missed but there was a packed off-side field to fall back on. The ball first beat the diving fielder at extra cover and then slipped between men at cover and point. It was finally pulled back in style, though, with a slide and a relay throw to round things off.
Bowlers step aside, modern fielders hunt in packs too. But sometimes, even three of them aren't enough to prevent an overthrow. In the third over of Somerset's chase, Rajat Bhatia threw at the stumps from mid-on and missed but there was a packed off-side field to fall back on. The ball first beat the diving fielder at extra cover and then slipped between men at cover and point. It was finally pulled back in style, though, with a slide and a relay throw to round things off.
The weak wave
A decent crowd had built up for the night game but with the Kolkata Knight Riders finding scoring tough initially, the fans were kept relatively quiet. The DJ tried his best to bring the crowd to life, exhorting them to start the Mexican wave. The crowd reluctantly obliged, but after about an attempt-and-a-half, the wave died quickly.
A decent crowd had built up for the night game but with the Kolkata Knight Riders finding scoring tough initially, the fans were kept relatively quiet. The DJ tried his best to bring the crowd to life, exhorting them to start the Mexican wave. The crowd reluctantly obliged, but after about an attempt-and-a-half, the wave died quickly.
The voice-giver
The crowd was brought to life a few overs later by Yusuf Pathan, who decided to make Somerset pay for bringing on their fourth left-arm spinner, Arul Suppiah. Coming on strike for the second delivery, Yusuf gave the crowd its voice as he launched it over long-on. Each of the next three deliveries disappeared into a sea of delirium between long-on and deep midwicket. The lowest-priced ticket today was Rs 100, and it had already been worth it many times over for the fans.
The crowd was brought to life a few overs later by Yusuf Pathan, who decided to make Somerset pay for bringing on their fourth left-arm spinner, Arul Suppiah. Coming on strike for the second delivery, Yusuf gave the crowd its voice as he launched it over long-on. Each of the next three deliveries disappeared into a sea of delirium between long-on and deep midwicket. The lowest-priced ticket today was Rs 100, and it had already been worth it many times over for the fans.
The recovery
With the Knight Riders reeling under the onslaught of Roelof van der Merwe, Shakib Al Hasan induced a high mis-hit from Peter Trego that swirled in the air over mid-on. Shakib settled under it but the ball was coming over his shoulder and he grassed the catch, tumbling on to the ground. Instead of fretting over the lost opportunity, however, he recovered quickly and, while still on the ground, fired a direct hit at the striker's end to catch Trego short.
With the Knight Riders reeling under the onslaught of Roelof van der Merwe, Shakib Al Hasan induced a high mis-hit from Peter Trego that swirled in the air over mid-on. Shakib settled under it but the ball was coming over his shoulder and he grassed the catch, tumbling on to the ground. Instead of fretting over the lost opportunity, however, he recovered quickly and, while still on the ground, fired a direct hit at the striker's end to catch Trego short.
Abhishek Purohit is an editorial assistant at ESPNcricinfo