Sussex face stiff test, Delhi elimination
Cricinfo previews the double header on day four of the Champions League Twenty20
Cricinfo staff
10-Oct-2009
Group B
New South Wales v Sussex, Delhi
Start time: October 11, 10.30 GMTNew South Wales kicked off their Champions League Twenty20 campaign on a high, with a comprehensive win over Eagles in Delhi. Sussex play their first game of the competition on Sunday, and if the pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla behaves in a manner similar to Friday, where the bounce as uneven, turn was plenty and the ball didn't come on, NSW, with their expert adaptation to the conditions, start favourites. Sussex were champions at the Twenty20 Cup in England this summer, and have a side that rely heavily on allrounders. Dwayne Smith, Yasir Arafat, captain Michael Yardy, Rory Hamilton-Brown and Luke Wright provide plenty of ammunition to the team with both bat and ball, and NSW might well be in for a challenge.
Watch out for
The Sussex medium-pacers, of whom there are a few, will aim to emulate NSW and Victoria in their respective games in Delhi where they maintained a tight line, exploited the low bounce, and played a critical role in shutting out the opposition.
The Sussex medium-pacers, of whom there are a few, will aim to emulate NSW and Victoria in their respective games in Delhi where they maintained a tight line, exploited the low bounce, and played a critical role in shutting out the opposition.
Piyush Chawla's Twenty20 record is impressive with an economy rate of 7.33 and a strike-rate of 18.4; his variations should test the NSW batsmen.
Simon Katich led by example against the Eagles, opting for patience over aggression on a difficult pitch and took his team to a match-winning score. Add to that experience of Stuart Clark and the all-round skills of Moises Henriques, andNSW have enough talent to bank on to make it two in two.
Group D
Delhi Daredevils v Wayamba, Delhi
Start time: October 11, 14.30 GMTLike for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils' first game didn't go to plan and they are left needing to hit their stride against Sri Lanka's champions Wayamba to stay in the tournament. Their batting is studded with fearsome Twenty20 hitters, but it was blunted by the accurate Victoria seamers and the slow-and-low pitch. Already without AB de Villiers, Paul Collingwood and Daniel Vettori, they could also lose Mithun Manhas after he pulled a hamstring during the first game. On Sunday, they are up against opponents who have 11 players with international experience in their squad.
Mahela Jayawardene is the biggest name in the Wayamba squad but their strength is likely to be their bowling. Isuru Udana was the best bowler in Sri Lanka's domestic tournament, Ishara Amerasinghe adds firepower to the pace department, and Ajantha Mendis and a much-improved Rangana Herath provide spin options. They also have Farveez Maharoof, who will use this tournament to try re-capture the allrounder's spot in the Sri Lankan team from Angelo Mathews.
Watch out for:
Virender Sehwag: After a long injury lay-off, Sehwag showed signs of being back at his murderous best, clubbing four fours in a 15-ball 21 against Victoria. An hour of Sehwag in full flow is just what the Delhi crowd want.
Virender Sehwag: After a long injury lay-off, Sehwag showed signs of being back at his murderous best, clubbing four fours in a 15-ball 21 against Victoria. An hour of Sehwag in full flow is just what the Delhi crowd want.
Farveez Maharoof had a great first IPL season with Delhi but didn't much of a look-in this year. What better stage could he ask to prove his point to the Delhi brains trust? Also, his knowledge of the Delhi pitch and the squad could prove quite useful.