~~~CRICKET AROUND THE WORLD!~~~: 41st Match:Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings

Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings, IPL, Kolkata

Weather interrupts Chennai's run-chase

May 18, 2008

8 overs Chennai Super Kings 55 for 0 (Fleming 32*, Parthiv 19*) need 95 more runs to beat Kolkata Knight Riders 149 for 5 (Butt 73, Ntini 4-21)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

A heavy dust storm had the players scurrying indoors, as the weather intervened to disrupt what was turning out to be a fascinating run-chase. Stephen Fleming, finally showing signs of coming into his own, and Parthiv Patel added 55 undefeated runs for the first wicket after eight overs, repelling the new-ball attack of Shoaib Akhtar and Ishant Sharma. With Chennai ahead as per the D/L table - the par score is 52 - Kolkata need the weather to clear up quickly and ensure more play is possible.

To make matters worse, Shoaib Akhtar left the field after bowling two listless overs. He seemed to injure his ankle while landing to bowl his first delivery, and then struggled through two overs. Fleming took full advantage, clipping and pulling him for fours. Kolkata's one chance of pulling it back came three balls before the interruption, when Parthiv top-edged a pull, but Ashok Dinda put down the skier, and in the process allowed a single. Had that chance been taken, the par score would have moved up to 54, and the match would have been tied at this stage.

The strong winds swept plenty of debris onto the ground, while the groundstaff struggled to keep the covers on the ground. A light drizzle made matter worse, and there was a possibility of no further play tonight. If that does happen, Chennai will sail through to a three-run win.

20 overs Kolkata Knight Riders 149 for 5 (Butt 73, Ntini 4-21) v Chennai Super Kings

Salman Butt's classy 73 lifted Kolkata to 149 (file photo) © AFP

At the same ground where he had announced his arrival in international cricket, Salman Butt played another gem to lift an otherwise subdued performance from Kolkata Knight Riders into a challenging 149 for 5. Butt's 54-ball 73, and his 86-run stand for the third wicket with Debabrata Das gave Kolkata's bowlers something to defend, but Chennai Super Kings took the honours either side of that partnership, with Makhaya Ntini's hat-trick - separated by that stand - ensuring that they went into the halfway stage with a reasonable chance of notching up their seventh win of the tournament.

Butt's knock wasn't the fastest by Twenty20 standards, but considering the context - a pitch lacking in pace, and a batting line-up lacking in confidence - it was just what Kolkata would have wanted. In their previous game, against Mumbai, they had folded up for a paltry 67, and their start here was poor yet again, as Makhaya Ntini struck twice in his first three overs - Mohammad Hafeez flicked to fine leg and Sourav Ganguly attempted an ungainly heave and found his middle stump knocked back.

At 28 for 2 after five overs, Chennai had taken the early honours, before Butt found a partner who was ready to play the support act. Debabrata Das, drafted into the side in place of Aakash Chopra, creamed a couple of audacious straight sixes off Muttiah Muralitharan - who had a day to forget - but for the most part he was content to play second fiddle to the classy Butt, who played an outstanding knock.

As is his wont when he is form, Butt was all silken grace through the off side, either making room to cream drives through the covers, or getting behind the line to pepper the point and cover boundaries off the back foot. Manpreet Gony was crisply hit through the covers in his first over, while Ntini, who otherwise gave little away, leaked successive fours off two exceptional shots, as Butt moved away and lofted one through the covers, and then square-drove the next ball through point. Muralitharan was spared either, as Butt slog-swept a six over midwicket, and then carved three successive fours through midwicket and third man in his last over, as Muralitharan finished with unflattering figures of none for 41.

Apart from that partnership, there wasn't much cheer for Kolkata. Ntini, bowling a full length and attacking the stumps, bowled both Das and David Hussey to finish his hat-trick - the third of the IPL - and ended with excellent figures of 4 for 21. Gony's control was exceptional as well, landing the ball on a length and allowing the batsmen no room. The fielding wasn't as impressive - S Vidyut was guilty of sloppy misfielding and a missed catch off Butt, while Gony dropped one late in the innings - as Kolkata managed to reach a competitive target. With Shoaib Akhtar in their attack and the huge Kolkata crowd behind them, this could be an enthralling run-chase.

Twenty20 match

Indian Premier League - 41st match
Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings

2007/08 season

Played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on 18 May 2008 - day/night (20-over match)

Result Chennai Super Kings won by 3 runs (D/L method)


Kolkata Knight Riders innings (20 overs maximum)			R	B	4s	6s	SR
	Salman Butt	lbw b Balaji	73	54	10	1	135.18
	Mohammad Hafeez	c Gony b Ntini	6	6	1	0	100.00
	SC Ganguly	b Ntini	2	8	0	0	25.00
	DB Das	b Ntini	27	32	1	2	84.37
	DJ Hussey	b Ntini	0	1	0	0	0.00
	LR Shukla	not out	13	11	2	0	118.18
	WP Saha	not out	15	9	1	0	166.66
	Extras	(b 2, lb 7, w 3, nb 1)	13

	Total	(5 wickets; 20 overs)	149	(7.45 runs per over)

Did not bat AB Agarkar, I Sharma, AB Dinda, Shoaib Akhtar

Fall of wickets1-14 (Mohammad Hafeez, 2.2 ov), 2-28 (Ganguly, 4.6 ov), 3-114 (Das, 16.1 ov), 4-114 (Hussey, 16.2 ov), 5-122 (Salman Butt, 17.2 ov)


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
M Ntini	4	0	21	4	5.25	(1nb)
M Gony	4	0	17	0	4.25
M Muralitharan	4	0	41	0	10.25
L Balaji	4	0	36	1	9.00	(2w)
JA Morkel	4	0	25	0	6.25	(1w)


Chennai Super Kings innings (target: 53 runs from 8 overs)			R	B	4s	6s	SR
	PA Patel	not out	19	28	2	0	67.85
	SP Fleming	not out	32	20	6	0	160.00
	Extras	(lb 1, w 3)	4

	Total	(0 wickets; 8 overs)	55	(6.87 runs per over)